Growing Up Maximum Ride: A Differnt Story
by MyVampireBunny
Summary: We all knew she grew up in the School, but what if after that she was given to a normal family, with no memory at all of what happened? Six year old, Maxine Ride loses her parents in a car crash, and ends up with the Cullens.Flock comes later.FAX later
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Goodbye's and Hello's

M.P.O.V

I was only three when it happened. The accident. But I can explain it to you as best I can, simply because there won't be much of a story if I don't start from the beggining…

FLASHBACK

…_the windshield wipers went back and forth in a rythmic motion, making noises that made my foot tap. Small ice crystals danced in front of the window, and then disapeared as quickly as they had come as the wipers ran their dull blades over the glass._

_My stomach growled hungrily. "Food, mama?" I asked, my vocabulary not big enough yet to ask with grown up words. _

_My mom nodded, but didn't say anything. She had this weird thing about always being silent when she drove. She said it had something to do with concentration, though at the time I didn't know what that meant. _

_My father began to mess with the radio dial, and received a scolding from my mother when he turned it up to loud. "Maybe I should drive, Anne." He said, a begging look on his face. He didn't want my mother to be stressed._

_She shook her head. He sighed and continued to look out he window, seeing nothing but his own reflection in the darkness._

_Then my mother screamed. My father jerked up from his postion of a daydream, and he let out a hollar so loud I remember my ears ringing afterwards._

_And all I remember is crying. I remember red vision because blood was falling painfully from my forehead and landing in my eyes. _

_Then there were people. I perticularly remember one. He was pale and he had bronze hair. His eyes were a beautiful golden color. I remembered thinking about how beautiful he was._

"_It's going to be okay, sweetheart." He said, wiping the tears from my eyes. _

"_Mama?" I asked shakily. _

_He shook his head solemly and turned to look at the other people. Three girls, and three other boys. I couldn't remember how they looked to save my life, though I can fit their descriptions with who they are today._

"_I'm not your mama." He said sweetly._

"_Where is she?" I croaked._

"_She's in a better place." Was all that he said._

END FLASHBACK

Today I live with those same people. And they're not just normal people, either. They're vampires.

There's Edward, the first person I saw, and the one who was there for me at first. There was Alice, the very sisterly like one, whom as I grew up I always looked up to. And Jasper, the one who would always make me feel better, even when I always thought I would cave within myself. Carlisle, the one who was most fatherly like. Rosalie, the one whom I wished to be like, beautiful and yet independent of herself. Emmett, the biggest and yet the funniest. And then Esme, the one who was always like a mother to me. The one who I probably needed most of all.

All of them made up my life as I grew. Even now.

So I am going to share with you basically my life story. Even the parts that I choose to stay away from. And the parts that are most secrete and cherished to me. You'll know all the thoughts that ran through my head at the time. I'll take you to present day.

I hope you enjoy all that I have to tell. But, I will not be able to refrain from being my normal sarcastic self while telling you. I have barely managed to do so while starting this.

So please: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

**It's short, I know! Just be patient! But I swear to god that if any of you review me and complain about how short it is, then I will never ever work on this story again! (Yea right!) And don't worry, the Flock will come in soon! There's gonna be a different past to the School and all, but it wil all soon be peiced together! Don't worry peepz!**

**Luv you all! **

**Peace!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, I'm here and I am writing! Writing is fun, and I am enjoying this right now! Sigh…hope you guys like it!**

Chapter Two: The First Four Years

The first four years of my life (6-10) were boring. Most of the time, after I had turned eight, I was within myself. I barely talked, and I barley ate when I was fed. I guess you could call myself depressed, but I chose not to consider myself that at any point.

Edward was the one who pulled me out of that 'depression', and he was the one who in the end made me feel better. He would call me the girl who could fly, which was what I was exactly.

In case you aren't familiar with me, I have wings. My real parents simply said I was born with them, and that was that. But once I turned seven, I began to not believe that. No other human had wings attached to their backs like I did. I didn't ask, because I knew they wouldn't have any answers. They found me, they didn't raise me from when I was born. They knew me since I was six, and no older.

Whenever I questioned anything about my wings, the Cullen's would answer as best they could, and then they would end the conversation with "don't tell anybody about them, and don't show them to anybody."

I would always ask, "well what if I really trust them?"

"No." Was their immediate answer.

I would look down, and I would look at my wings behind me, checking them and smiling.

Then I turned ten. I immediately began to doubt things, and I questioned a lot. My family wasn't annoyed, they simply smiled and answered as best the could.

One day though, Edward had some questions of his own. "Why can't I show off my wings?" I asked for like, the hundredth time that day. "If I really trust somebody, then I should be allowed to."

"Do you trust somebody enough to trust?"

I smiled and nodded. "My best friend Kirstie! She's been my friend since the first grade!"

"Why would you show her?"

"Because we know all of each other's secretes!"

"Do you know what her middle name is?"

"That's not much of a secrete!"

"Well, it's still something you should know about your best friend!"

He smiled down at me brilliantly, and because I was young I didn't have much to think of as a good response. I giggled as he swooped me up in his arms with one hand. With the other he tickled my ribs.

My wings flared out as I laughed hysterically.

He laughed as he set me down. "Your wings are beautiful, Max a million!"

I yawned, a sudden wave of tired washing over me. He picked me up, and I cuddled in his cold chest…

That was basically my life for my first four years. It was full of pain, questions, and a bit of understanding. And when I say a BIT of understanding, I really mean a BIT. I still question my life. But when you have wings, you question a lot.

I remember most enjoying the food that Esme and Rose made. When Alice tried, well, they had to start all over again. My favorite was when they made chocolate chip cookies. The homemade kind.

My life was good, and things didn't really kick into gear until I was eleven…

**It was really short, I know! But the story is going to really kick up next chapter, and the length should be pretty decent!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Bloody Eleventh Birthday Part One

I woke up like I did every morning. The freaking alarm clock woke me from my peaceful slumber, ripping me away from my dream about eating more of mom's cookies **(a/n: she sees the cullens as her family now, so, yah…)**. I grumbled and rolled over, burying my head in my pillow. I flexed out my wings, cramped from being on my back all night.

Then there was a hand on my back and another on my shoulder. I was suddenly in the air, and not because I was flying. I instantly knew who it was because their scent (yah, weird, right? I can SMELL people!) was so familiar.

"LET ME GO, EMMETT!" I screamed, pounding on his back, even though I knew it was pointless.

"Wake up birthday girl!" Was his response.

I growled and pumped my wings, trying to get away. But Emmett was STRONG. There was no physically possible way to get out of his grasp.

Then mom came in, a not-so-happy look on her face. That look could kill, let me tell you. "Put her down, Emmett. You'll break her."

"Come on Esme..."

"NOW."

Emmett, who was as afraid as Esme when she was angry as I was, placed me on the floor gently. Then he ruffled my hair. "We were just having some fun, right little sis?"

"Technically we're not related."

He growled, but another one of Esme's death glares was enough to get him running. Then Esme smiled at me and kissed my cheek. "Happy birthday sweetie! Chocolate chip cookies downstairs when your ready!"

"The homemade kind?"

"What other kind is there?"

I smiled and ran to get dressed as she ran down the stairs in the blink of an eye. Then I began to wonder, where was Edward? For every single on of my birthday's, he was the one to wake me up.

I got dressed and lazily made my way down the stairs, so caught up in my own thoughts that I wasn't even excited by the cookies sitting on the table. Alice was the first to notice, and she ran over to me. Of course she was followed by Rose and mom.

"What's wrong, Max?" Alice asked, a worried sound to her voice.

I scratched my head. "Where's Edward?"

Mom smiled. "He's getting you a birthday present."

I instantly perked up at the word 'present'. "What is it!" I shrieked.

"You'll see when you get home from school." Dad said, suddenly taking Rose's place, who had gone to get the oven, more cookies of course. "Don't forget, your staying after for your re-test."

"On my birthday?" I whined.

"Who was the one who went and failed her test?"

I rolled my eyes. "That's not fair." I grumbled.

"Life isn't fair." Was his fantastic, witty response. Like I hadn't heard that one before.

"I want Edward to come back home!" I whined, nibbling on a cookie, missing my best buddie.

"Just wait, sweetie." Esme said, swooping down and kissing my cheek…

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

School was a blur, so was the after school re-test. I had studied, knew all the answers, waited for the results, and found that I aced it. My dad would have a mouthful of 'life isn't fairs' when he saw that one, I thought. Thought it made no sense what-so-ever.

When Edward drove up to the curb in his Volvo, I nearly screamed. "I missed you all morning!" I screamed, throwing my arms around him.

He smiled, wrapped his arms around me, and handed me a small black box wrapped in black paper. "It's your present from all of us." He said, starting to drive, quickly buckling my seatbelt for me.

I ripped at the paper and took the lid off the small cardboard box. I screamed when I saw it, though he was unfazed and still driving perfectly. Inside was a brand new LG Dare. I clawed at the plastic covering, and soon held the small device in my phone. "I LOVE you Edward!"

"Don't forget to thank mom and dad when we get home. It was they're idea."

I nodded.

When we pulled into the driveway, I ran in, the phone in my right hand, ready to thank mom and dad and Rose and Emmett and Alice and Jasper, when I saw all of my friends from school. They screamed, "Surprise!"

They screamed. I screamed. They hugged me. I hugged back. No boys, though. Of course.

**Yeah! Another chapter done! There will be another part to this chapter, giving the whole 'bloody' part it's meaning! Keep reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Bloody Eleventh Birthday Part Two

Hours later…

The presents were all unopened, the cake was all eaten, and my family was all out of our hair. I tried to keep the girls quite, making them whisper their secretes in the dark as quietly as they could. But when you're a girl and you're hyped up on sugar, it's hard to keep from screaming every single thing you were saying.

Everybody was huddled close, an empty space in the middle of our sleeping bags. "What do we do now?" I mumbled, my eyelids falling down ever so lightly each second. "I'm tired."

"Hmmm…" Kasandra sighed, her eyes focused on the ceiling. "We could…we could…" She was interrupted by a loud yawn.

"Ah screw it!" Amy growled. "We're all to tired. Maybe we should just sleep."

Half of the girls had gone home, and it was only me, Amy, Kasandra, Lizzie, Pheobe, and Anna. They were the closest friends I had ever had, me knowing all their secretes, and them knowing all of mine.

"No sleep!" Lizzie wined. "I want to go to a sleep over where we actually stay up all night. I've never been to one before."

The truth was, I hadn't either. I didn't think any of us had. Staying up all night just wasn't something people could do in modern day America, full of freaking school and crap like that. Missing eight hours of sleep on a Saturday would usually leave you eight hours behind schedule, messing everything up. But, I put my foot down, and said, "TRUTH OR DARE!"

Anna sat up and looked around at us with a wicked smile on her face. "Yah!"

"Who goes first?" Kasandra asked, sitting up.

"You can." I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.

"Hmm…Max…truth or…" She broke up, her eyes on my legs. All the girls followed her gaze, gasped, and backed away slowly. Only Kasandra, the closest of them all, stayed loyally by my side.

"What's wrong?" I asked. For a moment I was afraid that they may have seen my wings or something.

"Max, have you, like, had your period before?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means: you're bleeding through your pajama shorts."

I jumped up and instantly placed my hands over 'that area'. But it didn't help since it was all over my sleeping bag and covering my whole butt.

"Is she okay? She sure is bleeding a lot!" Amy gasped.

"Go get her some toilet paper or something!" Kasandra snapped.

"No, she needs a shower." Pheobe said, walking off towards the bathroom, then returning with a pile of wet toilet paper. "Here, set this on the stain on the sleeping bag, and go take a shower. Wake your mom or one of your sisters up. It would be best."

My eyes were wet with tears of embarresment as Kasandra followed me to the bathroom. "I'll take your clothes." She whispered as I closed the door. "I know where the washroom is."

I stripped myself of all clothing, handing her my shorts and throwing my underwear in the garbage. I stepped in the shower, close to sobbing. What the hell was wrong with me? Why me?

My mom told me where the pads were, trusting me to get them when I needed them, whether she knew or not. I struggled with them at first, having to look at the directions to get it right.

When I walked out, I was hit with a mob of people.

Edward was the first, his words alarmed yet comforting. "Are you alright?" He asked.

I nodded my head, looking for mom. I cuddled in her arms, letting her stroke my hair. She kissed my forehead and said, "Go have fun with your friends dear, you can talk to us about it later."

She stroked my wings, and then pushed me towards the living room.

My friends were sympthetic, most of them had gone through the same thing. They told me stories of when it first happened to them, some more embarressing then others.

Kasandra's was the worst. "My brother walked into the bathroom to see me crying, my hands covered in blood, wiping up the floor with a beach towel. He called for my mom and ran out of there like a flash of light, shaking his head and rubbing his temples the whole time."

I was giggling for so long that I found snot flying out of my nose. "That's a good one, Kasie."

She smiled at me. "You haven't called my Kasie in a long time."

"Yah, well, bff's for so long and all…you kind of get carried away."

"Ohmygod!" Pheobe said, standing up with her cell phone in her hand. "My cousin Nick is coming to town tomorrow!"

"Who's Nick?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes at me. "He's my cousin from down in Arizona. He like, never comes to visit me! He's, like, totally Emo and he, like, doesn't really like me. But I always, like, make him go skating with me. He always loosens up when I bring him around, like, my friends and all."

One thing I hated about Pheobe, she totally overused the word: like. It was always in her sentences, even if she was sobbing over something. One day, when her dog died, her reply was (in tears): "My poor, like, dog, like, totally died! I woke up to my mom and dad, like sobbing in my room, like, thinking of a way to, like, tell me about what happened!"

But it was one of the many traits that made me love her even more.

"You should meet him Max!" She shrieked. "I think you'd like him! He's, like, coming with my mom to pick me up tomorrow!"

**Oh, yah! Nick! If you don't know who that really is then u r stupid! R and R!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Nick

We did it. We successfully stayed up all night. I was proud of myself, finally accomplishing one of my goals in life (not really, but hey).

"NICK!" Pheobe screamed, running to the door. Mom was down in a minute flat (she could have been there faster but had to keep the whole vampire thing hidden around the human friends). "Is that your mother, dear?" She asked sweetly.

"Yah, yah." Pheobe said, giving my mom a dismissive shake of her hand. "But, like, nobody cares, like, about her, like, when my, like, cousin Nick is, like in the passenger seat!!!"

"Pheobe!" I gasped. "Your mom is important to!"

"Yah, yah." She said again. Jeez, talk about compassionate. "I, like, can't believe, that, like, everybody had to, like, leave before he, like, got here. They would have really, like, loved him."

She pushed the door open and ran outside, my mother behind her, and me behind my mother. I looked behind me to see Edward, Emmett, and Jasper looking out the window. I glared at them and they looked away. They liked to check on the people I talked to. Damn, overprotective, older brothers.

I peaked over my mom's shoulder to look in the passenger seat of the white mini-van that Pheobe was throwing her things into. There was a boy, and he looked emo alright. His face was pale, and he had longish black hair falling over his one eye. He wasn't to pale, and his hair wasn't too black, but he still looked creepy enough to make me shiver. Now, somebody please tell me, how I was supposed to be jumping up and down screaming over how amazing he was when he looked like a ghost?

Pheobe ran over and grabbed my hand while my mom walked around to have an incredibly long chat with Mrs. Pheobe's mom.

She pounded on Nick's window, screaming "Open up, Nick! You know you, like, want to, like, meet her!"

He smiled (okay, yes, I mean he SMILED, like a normal person. SHOCKING, right?). And I found my heart beating faster. Don't ask me why, but that smile…That smile…

He rolled the window down and messed up her hair, causing her to stick her tongue out.

"Maxie!" Pheobe yelled, pulling me closer. "This is Nick."

Wow. She didn't use 'like' in that sentence at all.

Nick looked me over, his eyes growing a bit wide as he took in my face, making me self conscious. Was there something in my teeth? Was my hair to poofy?

"Hey, the name's Nick." He said. His voice surprised me. It wasn't deep and scary like I had thought it would be (a sign he hadn't hit puberty yet), but it was calm and…almost reassuring. Like he wasn't scary or something. Yah, sure (sarcasm).

"I'm Maxine." I said. "Everybody calls me Max."

"Hmm…Max. Why does that sound familiar?"

I shook my head. He watched my hair as it shook, landing behind my shoulders and sprawling over my back in messy waves.

I was waiting for him to reach his hand out and shake mine, but he instead just rolled up the window.

Pheobe scowled at him. "That so isn't like, like him. He usually, like, likes my friends. Maybe you, like, seem… Hm, I, like, don't know. Maybe he's just, like, tired or something."

Mom came back around, letting her arm rest on my shoulder. I noticed Nick looking at us while Pheobe made her way into the back of the car. I smiled at her while her mom drove off.

"Well, her mother is very nice." Mom said, pulling me into the house. "Who was that boy?"

"Her cousin." I said, my voice getting lower as we stepped inside. If my brothers heard anything about a boy they would interrogate me for hours, and would then set out to find him and rip his limbs off. "His name's Nick. He's…nice."

"I'm sure he is." She smiled and instantly dropped the subject as Dad (Carlisle) came from the kitchen, smiling at Mom.

"Max," He said, his golden eyes traveling down to meet mine, "what would you like for breakfast."

"Uh…" My stomach still felt queasy from seeing Nick. "I'm not that hungry."

He nodded. "Well, I'll just have to make you a big lunch."

"Yah…that sounds great."

I gently pulled away from mom and ran up the stairs, heading for my room. When I opened the door to find Edward sitting on my bed, I had to keep back a scream. "Get. Out. Of. My. Room."

"Is that a threat or a request?" he asked.

"Since when did you start acting like Emmett."

"Since you started hanging out with boys."

I rolled my eyes. "That boy in the car isn't even my friend."

"Those are always the ones who sneak up behind you and grab by the waist…"

"Don't finish that sentence, Edward, no get out of my room."

"He won't leave unless you tell him where your diary is." Emmett's familiar voice boomed behind me. He was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't keep a diary." I snarled.

"I'm SO sure." He said, smiling.

"EMMETT!!! JUST SHUT UP!!"I screamed, running towards him with my fist clenched.

I felt Edward's hands wrap around my shoulders as he gently pulled me away. "Maybe you should leave, Emmett. I want to talk to Max. Alone."

"Ooooh! Remember, Edward, she's too young for you!"

Edward growled as Emmett left, closing the door behind me. "Let me know if you find her diary!" He yelled.

Edward pulled my back on my bed, sitting me on his lap like I was a baby. "What?" I asked, venom rising in my voice.

"Are you okay?" He asked calmly.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I snapped.

"Last night you had me worried. You seemed upset."

"I'm NOT talking to you about this, Edward!"

I got off of his lap and ran downstairs, looking for Alice and Rose.

**It wasn't the best chapter, but, hey, I tried. R and R!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Fang…I Mean Nick

Monday came around faster then I thought it would. It seemed to be hiding behind me, following me like a stalker that I couldn't shake. Every minute I knew it was coming closer, but I wouldn't let myself take notice to it.

I SO wasn't ready to go to school again.

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"Five more minutes!" I moaned as Alice happily skipped around my room, singing at the top of her lungs, "GET UP MAXIE! TIME FOR SCHOOL! DON'T WANT TO MISS SCHOOL…WITH ALL THE _BOYS_!!"

She giggled, and when she noticed her singing had no effect on me, she plopped on my bed, resting her head on her hands. "Don't you want to see all the _boys_?"

"Thinmghth."

She giggled. "What did you just say?"

I rolled my shoulders. "I don't know. I don't remember."

I could just see her smiling, planning something totally evil and Alice-like. Probably something like pouring a bucket of cold water over my head or something. "If you don't get up," She said (see, I told you!), "then I'll just have to give you a make-over before you leave the house! Now, doesn't that sound fun?"

My eyes snapped open as the words left her lips. I shivered with fear and quickly stood up. "Okay, I'm up. Now, could you please leave so that I can get dressed?"

"Sure, I already have your outfit ready!"

She skipped over to my closet, threw it open, and pulled out a t-shirt and jeans. She gave a pout face. "This is NOT what I picked out for you yesterday! Did you change it?"

I rolled my shoulders. "Nope. I don't recall being in that closet at the time of one-thirty pm yesterday to change that terrible outfit you had in there for me. And I most DEFIANATLY did NOT throw it out the window, watched it fall, ran out and dug a hole, then buried it. Why would I do that?"

"MAX! You could have at least let me exchange it for something you would like better! Burying it was totally mean!"

I rolled my eyes. Poor, poor Alice. Living in a world full of clothes, makeup, and money. How would she ever make it in life looking pretty? (All sarcasm, but, hey…)

"Just leave so I can get dressed."

"But…" She jutted her lower lip out and pouted at me, widening her eyes to make them look a lot like Bambi the Deer's. "I can get you something pretty to wear!"

I raised my eyes to the ceiling as if thinking. "Let me see…NO."

"B…but, are you s_uuuure?_" She dragged out the 'ure' in 'sure' to make it sadder.

"Yes. I am sure."

"But..."

"No, Alice! NOW LET ME GET DRESSED!"

Her eyes widened (this time in fear/shock), tossed the clothes at me, and walked out mumbling about 'hormonal pre-teens'. "You could have at least closed the door!" I yelled after her, slamming the door closed with as much strength as I could as six thirty in the morning.

I grabbed the t-shirt and jeans. It was a simple outfit: One orange t-shirt and a nice comfy pair of ripped jeans. Alice and Rose cringed at my outfits most of the time, and my friends would always wonder why somebody as rich as me didn't dress better. They weren't making fun of me (since most of them dressed the same), and I couldn't blame them for their questions. When you think of rich people your mind doesn't jump to somebody like me (and if it does I just HAVE to wonder what kind of bubble you've been living in your entire life).

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I walked down the stairs, subconsciously chewing my bottom lip, when Edward was suddenly in front of me. It took some quick thinking and quick footing to avoid making a face plant into his chest. "Jeez, Edward." I mumbled. "Why do you always have to do that?"

"Because it bugs you."

"_Because it bugs you._" I repeated, mocking his tone of voice and making it just a _tiny_ bit girlier.

He smiled and picked me up, holding me in his arms like I was a baby. "Let. Me. Down." I said as calmly as I could. No go, he just squeezed me harder to his chest. I began to pound on his back with my fists, sadly knowing that it had no effect. "EDWARD CULLEN YOU PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!" I screamed. "Or I'll tell mom you were harassing me."

"You do that." He said, making his way into the kitchen, where he sat me down on a chair next to Rosalie.

"_What_ are you wearing?" She asked, her voice ringing with disgust. "My little sister will _not_ walk out in public looking like _that_."

"Technically we're not even related." I said, munching on an apple dad had handed me.

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously. I would never be related to somebody like _you_."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" I asked, dropping the apple on the table.

"Uh-oh! Max blew a fuse!" Emmett said. "Better watch out, Rose. Max doesn't cut her nails. They might just be able to cut through your skin."

Rose gave Emmett a glare that could make a bunny turn evil (I don't know where that came from, but, whatever). "Stay out of this."

"Gotcha babe." He said, walking away nervously.

"Whatever." I said, grabbing my apple and walking towards the living room. "Edward!" I yelled, turning on the TV. "Are you ready to go yet!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I hopped in the passenger seat of the Volvo as Edward popped in some CD full of classical crap. I grabbed my ipod and put the headphones in my ears, cranking it to full volume as Linkin Park began to scream in my ears.

"COULD YOU PLEASE TURN THAT DOWN!" Edward shouted, making me jump. He barely ever yelled, and when he did was like hell had frozen over.

"What's your problem?" I asked, my voice cracking. I hated making him mad at me. "What did I do wrong?"

"I can hear your music above mine. It's just…could you please turn it down?"

"At least you asked nicely this time." I said, shutting it off completely.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edward dropped me off as the middle school, and as he began to say goodbye I slammed the door shut. When he yelled at me, I gave him the silent treatment. This was normal behavior, but the look on his face suggested that he hadn't expected it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"MAX!" Pheobe screamed, grabbing my hand.

"Uh, hey Pheobe…" I mumbled.

She pulled me inside the building, yanking my arm until it was sore. "OMG! Nick is, like, in school!"

For some reason that made me freeze in place. She tried to pull, but gave up when she realized that it was getting her nowhere. "You mean that he's in our school? Right now? As we speak?"

As if to answer my question, there was a parting in the crowd. Girls gasped, and guys backed up against the lockers. Standing in the middle, walking through, was the out-of-place-looking emo boy. Nick.

Pheobe ran over and wrapped him up in a hug. He eagerly hugged back and ruffled her hair.

She leaned up and whispered something in his ear. Something that made his eyes travel up to meet mine.

He came up and smiled, something he didn't do when he first saw me. He extended his hand, something he ALSO didn't do when he first saw me.

"Hey Nick." I said, shaking his hand like any polite person would do.

"Hey Max."

Pheobe skipped up, placing her hand on my shoulder. "Nick says that everybody at his old school used to call him Fang." Another sentence without the word 'like'.

Nick, or Fang, glared at Pheobe quickly before looking up at me. I noticed our hands were still entwined, and I quickly pulled mine away. "I…I gotta get to homeroom. See yah Pheobe, Fang…I…I mean Nick."

I walked away, rubbing my hand. For some reason I missed his hand holding mine. It was comfortable, and almost familiar. Even that nickname, Fang, seemed so familiar that it just rolled right off my tongue. Fang, why are you so familiar?

**Like it? Hated it? REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW!!!!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: The Explosion

I walked into 2nd period and slammed my books down on my desk, glaring at anybody that made eye contact with me. I had just received word that I failed my math test, and I was NOT happy about it. I began to regret never studying (well, almost).

I slumped down in my seat, letting my hair fall in my eyes because I was too lazy to brush it away.

Slowly, people began to shuffle in around me, chatting excitedly about the 'big football game that night'. Oh BOY! (sarcasm…again.)

None of my friends were in any of my classes (they were all smarter then me), so I had nobody to rant to, and I wasn't about to get in trouble for screaming at the teacher about my recent failure (I did that quite often, actually teachers are good listeners). I just had myself…and myself wasn't good at taking the news.

Then the door slammed, and everybody stopped talking. I didn't look up to see the teacher, but I could hear him shuffle through some papers on his desk. "Well, Nick…"

That was all it took. I jerked up in my seat to see the one and only mysterious emo boy, Nick, standing there with his hands in his pockets and his head cast in the direction of the teacher's desk. "Well, Nick, I can't seem to find the study sheets. I guess I can re-print them…"

"That's fine." He said, nodding quickly. "I can wait. I'm a quick learner anyway."

"Well, that's good!" Mr. Jackson said, nodding enthusiastically. "Let's see…you can have a seat behind Maxine. The one with the pretty brown hair."

I rolled my eyes, hating how nice Mr. Jackson was. He always complimented my hair, even though it was ratty and always up in a pony tail (except for today!).

People in the room snickered, and I glared at every single one of them. Damn immature snot bags.

When Nick took a seat behind me, he tapped my shoulder. I turned around to meet those dark eyes staring directly at me with an intense curiosity. "Hey Max."

"Hey." I whispered, feeling my blood rush to my face. I quickly turned away, blowing him off completely. The last thing I wanted was him to see me _blush_. Ew.

XXXLineBreakXXX

When class was over, one of the girls in the front of the class pulled me aside. Her red hair was falling messily in front of her green eyes as she smiled at me, her teeth sparkling unnaturally white. "Who was that boy sitting behind you?" She asked. "He seemed to know you."

"Uh, that was Nick." I said, wondering why 1) this girl was talking to me, and 2) this girl who never talked to me was asking about Nick.

"Pheobe's cousin?" She asked, her eyes lingering on the teacher as he shuffled the remaining students out.

"Uh…yah, why?"

"Just wondering. Do you think he'd be interested in me?"

For some reason my body had a reaction to her asking that. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. "I doubt it, why?"

"Uh…oh!" She stuttered, looking down at the ground. She looked upset about something, and her eyes looked as if they were filling with tears. "Th…thanks anyways, Maxine."

Thanks for what?! And why did she just call me Maxine?

The teacher came over and gently pushed me out of class, chattering about lunch and how this was a good time for me to get working on being more social. Blah, blah, blah.

XXXLineBreakXXX

At lunch, I met up with Pheobe and Kasandra, both of them chirping about how well they did on their math tests. WhoopDeDoo!

I slammed my tray on the table and took a seat next to Lizzie, who was messily slurping spaghetti noodles. I couldn't help but to laugh at that. "You look so attractive, Lizzie."I said, receiving a smile.

"Where's Nick sitting?" Kasandra asked, flipping her red hair over her shoulder.

"He's, like, sitting with us." Pheobe said.

"Hey, Pheobe?" I asked.

"Yah?"

"How come you never use 'like' when you're around Nick?"

She rolled her shoulders. "When we were, like, kids, he used to like, beat me up for, like, using it to much."

I nodded. "Um…that's cool. Maybe I should start slapping you more often."

She cringed and put her hand to her face. "Hey! I, like, promised to never touch your, like, stuff again!"

Kasandra and Lizzie giggled just as Nick placed his tray next to Pheobe's. The first thing I noticed: his tray was as full as mine. Two helpings of spaghetti, a pudding, two apples, and three cartons of chocolate milk.

"You pig!" Pheobe said, gasping when she took in all that he was eating.

"I'm a hungry pig." He said, biting into an apple.

Okay, now, call me crazy, but not even guys don't usually eat that much. The only reason I did was because of my being part bird. But as far as I was concerned, Nick was all human. Or… No, that was definitely crazy. There was no way…

"Hey, Nick?"

"Yah?" Nick asked as Kasandra asked for his attention.

"The name's Kasandra."

She outstretched her hand towards his, and when he looked at her he seemed to take her all in. His eyes widened as he shook her hand. Kasandra smiled and a small giggle escaped when he pulled away. "You look cute."

He smiled at her, a different one then the one he used around me and Pheobe. This one seemed sneaky…scary…attractive (I did NOT just say that!!!).

XXXLineBreakXXX

Half way through lunch, Kasandra and Nick began to flirt. It was, to put in one word, ANNOYING!!!

I had to stop eating it was so gross. Kasandra kept fluttering her eyelashes, and Nick kept puffing out his chest as if he was some big, tough, man. Yah right! He hadn't even hit puberty yet!

I was ready to pour my milk all over their heads when Nick asked for her phone number and she wrote it down on his hand with a red glitter pen she had pulled from her pocket.

"EW!" Pheobe gasped, chocking on her pudding. "WTF!!!"

"What?" Kasandra asked, shoving the pen back in her pocket.

"My cousin and my best friend? Ew!"

"Not to mention you're both only eleven." Lizzie said, slurping up more pasta.

Nick glared at Pheobe while Kasandra glared at Lizzie. "What do you think, Max?" Kasandra asked, giving me the sad eyes. Yuck! She wanted me to side with her on this one? To bad I couldn't.

"I think Pheobe and Lizzie make a good point. You guys are way to young to be giving phone numbers."

Kasandra's eyes widened. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND!!!"

"So what? Did I ever once sign a contract that said I had to side with you on everything just because you were my friend? Because I don't remember that. And I really don't think you're old enough to be, like, dating and flirting and stuff."

(Okay…did I just give an EXCUSE?!)

Kasandra stood up. "This is bull!"

My eyes widened. "Uh…sure?" I asked, not to sure what to say.

"You know, all I do is try to have a little fun, and my best friends have to go and hate on me?"

"Hate on you? What?" I asked.

"Don't play dumb, Max! Jeez! Come on Nick!"

Without even hesitating, Nick stood up and followed Kasandra, his empty tray in hand.

"What the hell was that?" Pheobe asked.

"That, my friends, was an explosion." Lizzie said, putting her fork down on her tray and wiping her mouth with a napkin she had spread on her lap.

But it wasn't just an explosion, oh no. It was the 'separation'. It was the day that Pheobe, Lizzie, and I cringed at whenever it was brought back up. It was the day that Kasandra became popular, and dragged Nick right along with her…

XXXLineBreakXXX

When Edward came to pick me up, I completely forgot about him yelling at me, and instantly began to rant.

"…rant, rant, rant, rant, rant, rant…and Kasandra took F…Nick away from the table and didn't talk to me, Pheobe, or Lizzie for the entire day."

"Is this F'Nick the same boy who was with Pheobe the other day when her mother came to pick her up?"

"His name is Nick, butthead, and yes, he is the same boy."

He nodded his head.

"What are you thinking?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me, Edward, or I'll never speak to you again."

He sighed. "It's just that I didn't like that boy to start with."

"Oh, whatever, Edward. You are so stupid!"

"Hey!"

"It's the truth."

He shook his head, and for the rest of the ride we just sat there, listening to the stupid, classical crap that he oh so enjoyed.

I hated that day…

**Okay! Now, when the next chapter comes around, it is going to be a jump of three years, so she'll be fourteen. These past few chapters were kind of like the start of the whole story…like a prologue!!!!!!!!**

**R…E…V…I…E…W…!...!...!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Hey There…Partner

THREE YEARS LATER…

Walking in into school that day was like walking into a pack of wild animals. Everybody was screaming, running, and jumping over one another to get to one piece of paper that had been tacked up onto the bulletin board earlier that morning.

From the corner of my eye I could see girls giggle as they found they were partnered with one another. They walked away, holding hands and planning an experiment that involved designer shoes and clothes.

I stayed behind, sitting on bench outside the nurse's office (which was a good ten feet from the mess), watching and waiting for everybody to clear out. I began to play with my fingers, tapping a rhythm on my knees as I watched the pack begin to clear away.

"MAX! MAX!"

I looked up to see Lizzie, making her way through the remaining kids, accidentally bumping into some boy with a bad zit problem on her way out.

I began to stand up, wondering what had her so worked up. She was waving her arms around like an idiot, and screaming my name like I was miles away.

And that's when somebody ran into me. His shoulder made contact with mine, and I found that he was strong. To strong. My eyes widened as I turned my head to look at him.

Black hair, pale skin, and dark brown eyes. So brown they were almost black.

He looked back, his hand entwined with an all-to-familiar red hed's. His eyes gave away no emotion. Like always, seeing him sent a chill through my body. I knew him. I _knew_ him.

When his lips parted to speak words, I found my head begin to spin. What the hell was wrong with me.

"Hey there…partner." He said before quickly turning around, looking at the girl next to him, who hadn't even turned to look at me.

"Partner." I whispered, not sure if he heard.

"MAX!"

Lizzie ran into me, her arms outstretched as she pulled me away from Nick and his crew. "Don't go near them." She whispered in my ear as Kassandra giggled at something Nick had whispered in her ear.

"What did he mean by '_partner_'?" I asked.

She looked down, her eyes wandering over the floor as if she was taking it all in. "I guess you didn't see Mrs.M's list, did you?"

I shook my head. "No. NO! NO! You have to be kidding me! How am I supposed to work with a guy like him as a partner!!!"

Lizzie rolled her shoulders. "Sorry Max. I'm sure you'll figure something out."

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

Mrs.M (her real last name was unknown) greeted everybody that day with a bright smile. Everybody had changed seats, sitting by their partners…except for Nick and I. He sat on the opposite side of the room, not even casting a glance in my direction.

But why did that bug me? I. Don't. Know.

"You have all seen your partners." Mrs.M said. "They were chosen to improve the grades of students who need the extra help. Your partners are there to push you to the top. To help you improve!" She smiled, looking at everybody before continuing. "Now, the project can be at home and school. Most will be done at home, so it would be great if you could get along so well with your partner that you could visit their house!"

Girls giggled, guys blushed, and Nick looked down, shuffling around papers he kept in a folder. Like he would ever be coming over to my house.

"So. Take your partner, go back to the lab tables, and come up with an experiment that will blow the class away!"

Everybody stood up, laughing over jokes that were nothing but jumbles in my mind. Except for Nick and I.

When it didn't look like he was going to make the move, I stood up, taking a deep breath. I walked over to his desk, without him looking up at me. My heart stuttered in my chest, a reaction to his face. So expressionless. So…familiar.

"Nick?"I asked, looking at the people still shuffling to the lap tables slowly, as if they didn't want to get to the actual project. "We better get working."

Then he looked up at me. Something I didn't expect to happen. Something that made me gasp and hold my breath afterwards.

His eyes were sharp, like daggers ripping through me, trying to tear all the walls I had taken so much time to build, down. And the scary part was, I was sure he could do it. I was sure he could rip me apart and look at what was inside. And I didn't know why.

"You really expect me to work?"

His words shocked me so much I had to take a step backwards. His voice was different, deeper. Scarier. I knew that I didn't get to know him to well, but I was saddened at how much he had seemed to change.

But the Max part of me took over, sweeping the girl inside of me away. "Yes, I do, dumb ass."

I instantly regretted what I said, and had to fight to keep a straight face.

His eyes seemed to widen a little, as if he wasn't expecting me to be so foul (although that wasn't even bad compared to my usual self), but he soon shook his head, a smile spreading across his features. A smile. I didn't think somebody like him even knew how to smile.

"I won't stress my brain out." He said. "Especially with somebody as stupid as you. One bad grade won't hurt."

Okay. Whoa. Take a step back please. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I won't be doing all the work, and I know you're too stupid to do it."

Before I could stop it, I brought my fist into his jaw with as much force as I could. "You _bastard_!"

This time, his eyes got WIDE. But it wasn't in a shocked kind of way. It was in scared kind of way. "What's your problem?" He asked, standing to tower over me.

"I don't know. What's yours?"

"Right now, it's you."

He took a step closer, his breath running across my face. But I was to in the Max mood to notice how close his lips were from mine. I brought my fist back up, but somebody from behind grabbed it and pulled it back.

Mrs.M was standing there, her smile just as bright as usual. "I think it's time for two certain people to visit the principle!"

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

I didn't care. He didn't care. But that didn't stop us from hating each other.

The principle and I were buddies. We were like peanut butter and jelly (although he didn't think so). Whenever I saw him I smiled and said, "Hey! What up dawg!?"

He just glared at me, scribbling an extra week of detention for one Maxine Cullen (I now use my family's last name). But today, there was no smiling; only glaring.

I was glaring at Nick, Nick was glaring at me, and the Mr. Principle glared at both of us.

"Now, Maxine…"

"It's Max." I said, reminding him for like the thousandth time.

"Max…why did you punch Nick?"

I looked over at Nick, examining his jaw. It wasn't even red, a sign that he was resistant to pain. Damn. Next time I'd have to hit harder.

"He won't even bruise." I said, rolling my eyes.

"But you still punched him."

"Not that hard." I mumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.

"But you still punched him."

"Yes. We established that, Mr.P Now can you please just scribble down my detention and let me get out of here? We have a science project we need to work on."

Mr.P nodded and pulled out two yellow sheets. In big, block letters were the words:** JUVENILE AFTER SCHOOL DETENTION PROGRAM**. "Have your science teacher sign these to confirm the detention. Then bring it back to the office tomorrow morning. I'll see you two tomorrow afternoon."

He stood up, opening the door for us. What a gentleman!

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

Walking down the hall, it was silent…until: "So, can I come over to your house tonight?"

I froze. "What?"

He rolled his eyes and kept walking, forcing me to follow behind. "To work on the project!"

"Um…um…"

"Good. My aunt remembers where you live."

"Is Pheobe coming with you?"

"No way. She'll screw everything up."

We entered science class, grabbed our books, and headed out. When he walked towards Algebra, I headed towards World History. "See you tonight!" He called.

I looked at his face. Emotionless as ever.

I was determined to fix that. I wanted to open him up. I wanted to know who Nick…or Fang, was.


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, it seems like people haven't picked up on some things. Max knows Nick's "nickname" is Fang because Pheobe told her!!!! Some people didn't seem to remember that!!!!**

**ENJOY!!**

**(I'm taking ideas from reviews, so gimme ideas!!!)**

Chapter Nine: As the Feather Falls to the Floor

I sat there, wondering when Nick was going to come, as Edward walked down the stairs.

"Hey." He said, stepping in front of the TV, blocking my view.

"You're blocking my view." I growled, looking up at his face.

"Sorry. But I think we need to talk."

There was a shuffling at the top of the stairs. Footsteps. "Emmett, Jasper, come down here!" I said, rolling my eyes and straightening up in my seat. They were there all of a sudden, Jasper's eyes cast down and Emmett's wide and innocent (yah right) as ever. "Now, whadda you guys want?"

"To talk about this guy thing." Edward said, suddenly sitting down beside me.

"What guy thing?" I asked, all of a sudden confused.

"We know you're having a guy over tonight." Emmett said, glaring at me. I could feel a calm settle down on us as Jasper jumped in.

"For a science project." I said, resisting the calm atmosphere as best I could.

"Sure." Emmett said, receiving a glare from Edward.

"Look," Jasper said, sitting on the floor and looking at me calmly. "We just want to make sure that you're safe."

I wasn't going to listen to this anymore. "Where's Alice?" I asked.

"All the girls went out."

"Damn."

"Don't swear." Emmett said, smiling at me.

I rolled my eyes. "I hate this guy, alright? And if it makes you feel better then you can watch. From a distance. I may not like him, but I don't want to embarrass myself in front of him."

Edward stood up, along with Jasper. "Don't worry. We'll be watching."

Was that supposed to _not_ creep me out?

And then they were gone. Which was quite a coincidence because as soon as they were gone, the doorbell rang.

"Coming!" I yelled, standing up.

I wasn't presentable. I wasn't even remotely close. But I didn't care. I was in a loose t-shirt and cut off shorts. My hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and I had on socks that reached my knees. Gorgeous!!!

"Hey." Nick said, looking me over as Pheobe's mom/Nick's aunt drove off. "You look…stupid."

He pushed past me as I rolled my eyes, resisting the urge to punch his lights out. "Come in."

I closed the door, not wanting to do this so bad that it hurt. He sat on the couch, slouching as far down as possible.

"What are you doing?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Savoring the quite."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm enjoying the time I have left while you're not talking."

"HEY!"

I heard a soft growl from upstairs, and hoped to god that one of my brothers wouldn't come down and make a scene. If a scene was going to be made, then I would be the director.

I walked over, clenching my fists, and sat beside him (as far away as I could on the couch, actually). "What's our project going to be on?" I asked.

"Birds." He said, making me raise my eyebrows.

"What?"

"Birds. I want to do my project on birds. About their flight patterns or something."

"Um…okay?"

Yah, that creeped me out. Birds? Why birds?

But the thought of birds made my wings itch. And I mean ITCH. So bad it almost hurt. I stood up, trying not to break down and begin scratching my back like an idiot. "I, um, need to go to the bathroom. Start thinking about whatcha wanna do the project on."

I spun around, moving quickly. He probably thought I was some kind of freak, but…oh well. I was a freak. And I was damn proud about it to.

And then it happened. The thing I had feared happening for my entire life. The one secrete that had been kept within my family was now wide open in front of Nick as it slowly fell to the floor.

I heard his footsteps behind me. Slow at first and then completely gone. Like he was standing still.

I spun around as he said my name. It was a whisper at first, and then a question. "Max. Max?"

I gasped as I noticed the small brown colored feather that was in-between his fingers. A feather. A feather….my feather…

"What are you?" He asked.

I could feel the color drain from my face. Why did he have to go straight to that question? I would of liked it better if he thought I stuffed my bra with feathers. That question…it was almost as if he already knew that I was something…not human.

His eyes said something…for once. Shock, disbelief, and surprisingly of all, relief. What was that supposed to mean? Relief?

"Nick…"I whispered, closing my eyes as my knees shook underneath me. What was this? Why did I feel this way. "Fang." And then I collapsed, memories of a small boy with black hair and dark eyes following me into the darkness.

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

**FANG'S P.O.V (that's right!)**

A feather. A single feather was the missing piece to the entire puzzle. She was what I had always thought she was.

But now that I knew what she was, I had to find out who she was. The first day I saw her, the wind blowing her hair behind her, I _knew_ her. I knew her. She was so familiar. She still is. I know her.

"Nick…" She whispered, her voice making me look up from the soft feather I was holding. "Fang."

I took a step back, my eyes widening as she fell to the floor. Without hesitating I ran to her. Her hair had fallen out of the bun, and it was sprawled out across the floor. She looked like an angel.

Without thinking, I lifted her body up and placed my hands on her back. I gasped as I felt them…her wings. I pulled back, my hands missing the warmth of her body.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER!!!"

I looked up to see a boy, a HUGE boy. He was standing next to two others, one blonde and the other with bronze hair. They were looking down at me with fiery eyes, making me flinch.

"I didn't do anything." I said so calmly their eyes widened. "She just fainted. I was only trying to see what was wrong."

The one with bronze hair came down beside me, placing his hand on her neck to feel for a pulse. "She's fine. I don't know what happened between you two, but you better leave before whatever it was makes me rip you to shreds. Call your aunt and have her pick you up. Now."

The way he said it had me standing up and dashing for the door. I pulled out my cell and called my aunt. "I'm so sorry your little project didn't work out, sweetie! I'll be there in five minutes!"

Five minutes was enough. It was enough for me to look back at everything I had just seen. One feather. One single feather, and I knew. I knew that she was what I had suspected her of being the whole time.

She was what I was. She was…

The car pulled up into the driveway, my aunt smiling at me as I slipped in the back seat.

I closed my eyes and let my head rest against the window. My wings brushed up against the back of the seat.

"Max."I whispered. "I want to figure you out now."

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

**BACK TO MAX!!!!**

My head was swirling with memories I didn't even know I had. But I knew they were real. All the pain, all the tears that I shed.

He was there. Nick. But I didn't call him Nick. I kept calling him Fang. Fang…

Fang, who are you? Who are we? And why do we have wings?

**I really didn't think it was that great, but, hey, it's progress. RandR!!!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Faded

They kept coming to me. Like old movie clips, faded and mixed up. None of the memories were to clear. I cold only remember being so young, and so alone. Until they came.

FLASHBACK

…_two boys, one with dark hair and eyes, the other blonde with pale blue eyes. They were _to_ pale._

_They must not of seen me, because they didn't look down at my crate. Somebody had their hands clasped around the backs of their necks, ready to inflict pain if either of them acted out in any way._

_I could feel tears sting my eyes, my little kid emotions sending a jolt of fear through my body. Why were these people so cruel? Why were they hurting me, and people like me?_

"_Get in here." I heard a cruel voice growl. The two boys cried out. I could see them hanging onto one another, scared to let go of the safety they gave one another. "LET GO!" The cruel voice shouted, shoving both of them into a single crate. How were they supposed to fit?_

_I watched as the scary figure walked away. I waited for a few minutes afterwards, listening to the quiet sobs beside me. Then I made my move._

_I poked my fingers out through the holes in the side of the crate, hoping we were close enough to touch. _

_It took a few minutes, as if they were scared, before two sets of fingers reached out towards me. I could feel the warmth that came off of them. "Maxine." I whispered, my name being the only thing I was able to say._

"_Nick." One voice spoke. He sounded so hurt, so pained. But he wasn't crying._

"_Jeff." The other one said, his voice cracking with tears. He was scared. I closed my eyes, and began to sob. Hard. I could feel the fingers curl around my own, and I began to feel comfort. Something I hadn't felt in a long time. Something I couldn't even remember feeling._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_NEXT MORNING…_

_The scary figure came back, murmuring something to another of its kind. "…we'll need to take the dark haired boy for tests. He's new here."_

"_Fine."_

_The crate opened, and there was a moan of protest. One boy cried out while the other screamed._

_I rushed to the front of the crate to see the dark haired boy being carried away in the arms of one of the figures. He was fighting, kicking, screaming, and bighting, but he was little. To small to fight off a full grown man._

_I reached my fingers out, my eyes widening as the other figure reached out with a needle. _

_With one last cry, the boy fell limp in the figure's arms. "NO!" I screamed, not knowing where it came from. "NO! NO, NO, NO!!!"_

_The boy in the other crate was crying louder and louder, but the figures only kept going. It didn't seem like they would ever stop…_

END FLASHBACK…

"NO, NO, NO!"

I rolled over, falling flat on my face right onto the hard floor. I moaned as my head began to throb.

"Max! Are you okay?"

I was suddenly lifted into the air by a strong set of arms. My eyes fluttered open to see Edward's familiar face, ruined by worry. I set my hand on his cheek. "Don't look so worried."

"You're crying."

I smiled at him, feeling the familiar feeling of tears gently falling down my cheeks. "I'm fine."

He set me down on the bed, wiping away the tears. "Did you have a bad dream?"

I nodded. "The worst."

"Will you tell me about it?"

Tell him about it? He would think it a very descriptive dream, and I knew that he wouldn't believe me if I told him it was real. I would have to lie, or hope that he forgot about it (yah right).

"Later." I whispered, looking away from his eyes, which had the ability to pry the truth right out of me. I wasn't going to let that happen. Not like it had so many times before.

He sighed, resting his hand on my arm while the other one kept stroking my face. "What happened before?" He asked, breaking the silence I had hoped would last forever. "With you and Nick?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. He began talking about he project, and…" Could I tell him the truth? No, he would just worry too much. "And when I stood up to get supplies, I just fainted. I think it was because I hadn't had much to eat, that's all."

"YOU AREN'T EATING!?"

"No, no! I'm eating! It's just that I hadn't eaten as much. You know me; I need so much that even skimming a little off my diet will have me woozy. I just wasn't paying attention."

He pulled away from me, my skin missing his cold touch. I needed Edward, without him I wouldn't have a wall to keep my standing. Who would be there to catch me if Edward wasn't there?

_Fang. You'll always have Fang._

I cringed, not knowing where the voice came from. It couldn't have been me…could it? Would I, Max the fighter, think such a thought? (GASP!)

My eyes widened and I shot up. Edward stood up, grabbing me by the shoulders. "What in the world is going on with you?!"

"I need to see Fang!" I screamed, causing everybody in my entire family to run into my room. I was gasping for breath, sweat falling down my face. I was a wreck.

"What's going on with her?" Dad asked, taking a step farther into my room. "Why is she crying?"

I hadn't realized that I was crying again until Dad had mentioned it. The warm, salty tears were dripping down my cheeks, landing on the ground, and even though I wanted them to stop, they kept coming.

"I don't know." Edward whispered, before hugging me tight to his chest. "Jasper, help me." He said, the words like a plea.

Suddenly, I felt calm. I closed my eyes, and returned the hug. "It was a really bad nightmare." I whispered, hoping he was the only one who heard, but knowing that he wasn't.

"What nightmare is she talking about, Edward?" Mom asked, her voice ringing with worry. Something unfamiliar for a vampire. I didn't think it was possible for them to be worried. They were always so calm…

I pushed away from Edward, and he let me go. I turned to look at my clock. It was only ten. I had time. The sky was dark, but I was to awake to sleep.

"Edward, will you take me to Pheboe's house?" I asked, looking him in the eye.

"Why?"

"Don't ask. Just…please? I need to. Now. It can't wait until morning, or until school. I need to see him now."

"Him? Nick?"

"No!" Emmett said, his voice breaking any of the calm that Jasper had settled around us.

"Emmett, calm down." Rosalie said, pulling him out of the room.

"Please, Edward?" I asked, feeling tears sting my eyes.

He sighed. "Fine, but I better not regret this."

"You won't." I said, wrapping my arms around him and holding him as tight as I could to me. I could feel the air rush out of my body as he squeezed me tighter, not even worrying about breaking me.

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

**FANG'S P.O.V!!!! (yah!)**

I was lying there while _Motionless in White _screamed in my ears. I had hoped they would blow my thoughts away, but even their almost-endless screams couldn't push away all the thoughts that were currently eating me away.

Who was she? Max? Who were we? And why could I remember her? In all my faded memories, she was there. But where was there? What was going on?

Why do we have wings?

I don't know why I suspected her of being what she really turned out to be. There was just something about her (like all the food she ate :) ) She was special.

_She's beautiful…_

My eyes widened. I ripped the headphones out of me ears and sat up, rubbing my temples. Had I really just thought that, or was there some voice in my head that wasn't my own?

I bit my bottom lip, wondering why my head was so screwed up.

With Kassandra, I thought my life was as good as it could get. But when I found Max and I were partners…I thought there was something missing. And there is. Her. I don't know what I want her as. A friend, an enemy, or a…girlfriend (even beyond that, cough, cough).

All I knew was that I had to have her. I needed some part of her.

"Max." I whispered. "Will you take me?"

I looked out the window, looking at the moon.

_What would Max look like bathed in moonlight?_

"Stop thinking like that…"

_I'll always be here for you, Max…_

That's when I noticed a car pulling into the driveway, it's headlights illuminating the entire front of the house.

I had to catch my breath when I saw who it was in the passenger seat. No way…

_Believe it, man. She's really here. And I bet a million dollars she's here for you._

I bit my tongue as hard as I could, hoping it would stop myself from thinking like that. But as she stepped out of the car, her brother remaining in the car, I couldn't stop myself from noticing how beautiful she was.

My heart throbbed. I needed her. I _needed_ her. Only her…

The girl from my past…

FLASHBACK…

_A man, his hair messy and his chin stubbly, came running in the room where Max, Jeff, and Nick were sleeping in their crates. He began to fumble with the locks, causing them all to awake._

"_Mama?" Jeff asked, rubbing his eyes. He felt Nick's hand overlap his own. _

"_No, little one." The man said, opening the doors to both crates._

"_NO!" Max, said, shaking her head. She was so confused, not even remembering her own name. The tests the last few days had been so tough on her, on all of them, that all past memories had been erased._

"_It's going to be okay." The man said, smiling down at her and extending his hand towards her. He didn't grab her like the others had. "I'm here to take you away from this place."_

"_Away?" She asked, making sense of the word in her childish brain. What was 'away'?_

"_I'll take you somewhere safe."_

_She didn't understand anything he was saying. She had only heard AWAY. It sounded…safe. It sounded…nice._

_She reached out to him, letting him gently pull her out. The boy with blonde hair was holding onto the boy with dark brown hair. The man reached down and gathered them all up in his arms (they were all skinny enough to fit)._

"_I'll take care of you know, little ones." He said, kissing them each on the cheek. It was an action none of them were familiar with. _

_Eventually, when the scenery became to blurry, Max buried her head in the arms of the boy with brown hair. "A-way." She whispered slowly as the boy wrapped his arms around her. The man shifted, the position the children were in not comfortable for himself._

_The boy with blond hair reached out, not able to see. But Max reached out and took his hand. He smiled, and together they all fell asleep._

_END FLASHBACK_

**Okay, I noticed in the last flashback that I didn't use "nick" and "jeff's" real names, but I used Max's. That's okay though, I hope!!!!**

**REVIEW!!!**

**And thanks for all the support, guys! (smiles like an idiot)**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: Fang and Maximum-the perfect couple…even if they don't know it yet!!!

I walked up the few steps towards the door, not even caring if I woke anybody up. My finger was resting lightly on the doorbell while I began to regret even coming here. It was eleven o'clock. Definitely not the time to be running around, pushing people's doorbells. And what if I chickened out and ended up running away?

They would see the Volvo, and Pheobe would instantly know that it was me. She would tell her aunt, her aunt would have me arrested, and…

"Max?"

Realizing that I had been looking down at the WELCOME doormat, I jerked my head upwards, gasping at the voice. "N…nick!" I gasped (again with the gasping).

"What's up? Are you okay now?"

He looked behind me, angling his head to look out at my brother. Edward was sitting there, glaring at Nick and I. I felt blush crawl over my cheeks, along with rage that burned a hole through my stomach. WHY WAS EDWARD SUCH AN IDIOT!!!?

"Um, do you want to come in, or will that only have me killed by an assassin?"

I bit my lip, unsure of the answer myself. "I doubt my brother would mind. And if he does then I'll help him get over it." I could feel my fists clench at my sides (a subconscious thing I did when I was angry).

He stepped aside, his arm outstretched (such a gentlemen!). But why did that small action of kindness send my heart fluttering? I shook my head, making sure Max the girl kept a safe distance from this situation.

I stepped inside, not even looking at the surroundings. They were all too familiar to me. I began to remember Pheobe and I sitting on the floor, looking through dirt biking magazines and painting our nails dirt brown. Good times, good times…

"How's Pheobe?" I asked.

He seemed disappointed for some reason, looking down at his feet as he led me to the couch. "Did you come to see her? She needs her sleep, yah know."

The way he said it made his words like daggers, piercing my heart. He sounded angry, pissed.

"No, I came…to see you. But I'm worried about her…all the time."

He sat beside me, his eyes widening. "Um…she's fine. I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. I'm…just worried about her…"

How many times was I going to say that? Tears stung my eyes and I had to look away. Pheobe's situation always made me cry.

Two years ago (when we were 12), Pheobe went for a normal doctor's visit, and came home diagnosed with cancer. She was pulled from school, and I wasn't aloud to see her for months on end. And when I finally got to see her again (the beginning of me being fourteen) she was so hard to look at. She was weak…so sick looking that it made me sob.

"Hey, don't cry."

I hadn't realized that I was crying furiously until Nick snapped me out of my daze. Suddenly he had his arms wrapped around me, and his head resting on mine. My mind wouldn't let the girl in me come out. I didn't care that he was touching me in a way that would have made my heart jump out of my chest at any other time.

But now, I only collapsed in his embrace, sobbing my eyes out. This wasn't what I wanted. I didn't want to cry. I only came here to sort things out, not make an idiot out of myself.

He began to stroke my hair (an action I was almost afraid to except). "Hey, it's going to be okay. Do you wanna go see her?"

I shook my head. "No…that's…not even what I came here for. We…we need to talk…Fang."

His body froze as he took in a deep breath. And then he squeezed me closer, his body molding perfectly with my own. "Are you gonna tell me how I know you?"

I nodded, for some reason a smile playing at my lips. And then I jumped into the memories that I knew. He added on to some things, telling me parts that I couldn't begin to remember. By the end of it, I was calling him Fang naturally.

"…Jeb let us pick names when we were little." Fang continued. "He gave us names, and because we couldn't talk, he would take our smiles as an okay. Fang, Maximum, and Iggy."

My eyes widened. He and I had untangled, but he still hadn't let go of my hand. Now the girl part of Max was eating me alive. I wanted him to hold me closer…

"Those are strange names."

He nodded. "Jeb was a strange man."

"Whose Iggy? I can't seem to remember much about him except for that he was blind."

Fang shook his head. "Me either. I can't even remember anything after Jeb giving us names. Everything else is just…blank. You?"

"Same."

There was silence…until Fang pulled away.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He looked at the floor, his hands resting on his lap. "You know…I want to see them."

"What?"

"The things that make you special."

I brought my hand up and slapped him across the face, making a crack-type sound. "WHAT THE HELL!"

His hand came up to my mouth, and I found it hard to move it. He was as strong as me…

"You'll wake up my aunt! Shut up!"

I glared at him and he sighed.

"I meant your wings, dingbat." He said while pulling his hand away.

"Well why didn't you say that in the first place?!"

He rolled his shoulders. "I wasn't thinking."

"Obviously."

He sighed. "But…can I see your wings?"

I nodded, not even caring about the peculiarity of the question. If he wanted to see my wings, then he could see them.

I stood up and began pulling my t-shirt off.

Fang's eyes widened. "What are you doing!"

"My undershirt has slits in it!" I growled.

I ripped the t-shirt off and let my wings spread out. I heard his sharp intake of breath as they unfolded before him. "Got anything to say?" I asked with a smile, fluttering them.

He stood up then, doing something that made me flinch. He took his shirt off…and he didn't have an undershirt on.

"AH!" I gasped, taking a step back. First of all, he didn't have a shirt on and I could see his perfectly sculpted body (did not just think that!), and second of all, his wings were raven black. They seemed to shine they were so perfectly black.

Without even thinking I walked back over, my hand outstretched. I walked behind him, brushing my fingers over the soft feathers. "They're beautiful." I whispered.

He then whispered something I was sure I wasn't supposed to hear. "No, you are."

My fingers froze and I pulled away. What the hell!!!?

He spun around, taking in my frantic expression. "What's wrong?" He asked, grabbing my fingers in his own.

"You…you…" I stuttered.

"What!? Max, what's wrong?"

"Fang, you…"

"What! What did I do?"

"You said that I was…"

He froze. "You heard…"

I nodded. "Why would you think…"

He reached over and grabbed his shirt (a plain black t-shirt), slipping it on over his wings. "Maybe you should go. I'm sure that your brother's worried."

He began to push me out of the house, grabbing my shirt on the way out. "Put this on." He said before forcefully shoving the t-shirt on over my head. "I…I'll see you at school."

He slammed the door behind me.

**FANG'S P.O.V (AGAIN!!!)**

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Can't you just keep your thoughts in your head! STUPID!

I slammed the door shut, not even bothering to take in her expression. I ran upstairs, flicking the living room lights off.

"Nick?"

I froze in place as my aunt's voice came from the end of the hall.

"Yah?"

She cleared her throat. "It's midnight, so I'm not going to interrogate you right now. But in the morning, you're going to tell me every little detail of what went on with you and that Max girl."

That Max girl? Had my aunt not seen her for so long that she just became another person?

I nodded my head before slowly walking back to my room, silently closing the door behind me.

Max was beautiful…

_Screw it! Max is freaking gorgeous!!_

For once I didn't disagree. She was gorgeous. She was perfect.

She was everything I had ever wanted…but was I the same for her?

**HOPE YOU LIKED IT!!! **

**RandR!!!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, I need really evil ideas for this story! Something…scandalous, you know? I was thinking along the lines of Fang kissing some girl (maybe more then kissing), he he! But I'm not to sure, so I need ideas! **

**Sorry I haven't reviewed in a while. Haven't had much inspiration…**

Chapter Twelve: In My Dreams

Without even thinking, I ran towards the Volvo where Edward was waiting, his face portraying worry (same old Edward). I could feel my eyes burning, tears about to make themselves noticeable as I slipped in the passenger seat and slid the seatbelt over my chest. I looked out the window, waiting for Edward to move. He remained still.

I turned to look at him, not caring if he could see my crying. If you asked me why I was crying then, I wouldn't be able to give you an answer. I was so confused, and everything that I had just learned was eating at my brain, causing a mental breakdown.

Edward was staring at me, his eyes lingering on my mid-section, as if trying not to look at my chest. The first thing that popped into my head was: pervert, but I knew Edward better then that. There must have been something bugging him.

I looked down, examining my stomach. With a jolt I realized something was wrong. I frantically began to pull at the shirt, examining every part of it, hoping to god that what was going on was just part of a bad, bad dream.

"Why…" Edward began, his lip curling back in a snarl. "Why…is your shirt on…inside-out?"

I was still examining my shirt, not believing that this was actually happening. "Um…uh…"

Edward snapped then, his insanity clearly showing in his eyes. "What did that bastard do to you?"

Anger swelled in my chest. "He. Is. Not. A. _Bastard_. _**You**_ are."

"Did he make a move on you? Did he try to rush you into something you weren't ready for? If he did then so help me god I'll go in there and rip his beady little eyes right out of his head!"

I unbuckled my seatbelt in a quick flash, and without even thinking I reached out and slapped him across the face. He grabbed my wrists and pinned them against the wheel. He pulled me on top of him so that he was looking at me straight in the eye. The situation was uncomfortable, along with the angle I was sitting at. "_What_ are you doing?" I asked him, confused and slightly embarrassed.

He brought his hand up to my cheek, making me blush furiously. I tried to look away, but he had me in a hold that made that impossible. "Do you really like him that much?" He asked, his eyes looking a bit irritated, disappointed, and even sad. "Enough to…well, you know?"

"I showed him my wings." I blurted out. It came out fast, and I instantly regretted saying it.

His eyes widened. "You. Showed. Him. Your. Wings?"

His grip around my wrists tightened, making me flinch. He wasn't hurting me, but his grip was far from comfy. "Didn't you know? Weren't you reading his mind?" I asked, again the question was a quick rush of air.

He looked down. "No, I decided that I would…respect your privacy. It was hard, damnit, but I did it for you."

Something inside me melted. My amazing, big brother, was respecting my privacy. (Don't ask about the fluff. My head was fogged up with different emotions.) "YOU LOVE ME!" I gushed, somehow pulling away from his grasp to wrap my arms around him. "YOU REALLY LOVE ME!"

He squeezed me close to him. "Of course I do, you're my little sister. But…uh…why are you acting like this?"

He must have thought I was acting strange to, so I pulled away. "I…uh…I'm just a bit…confuzzled, that's all."

"Why?"

"Edward, I'm tired. Can we talk about this in the morning?"

He looked concerned, almost as if he was afraid to let me off the hook so easily. But then he gave in, sighing and placing me over in the passenger seat. "You can tell me all about it tomorrow on the way to school. But I promise you, if he did anything to you that you weren't ready for…"

"Yah, yah, yah." I mumbled.

My mind began to wander as I watched the trees, covered in a blanket of black, fly by as the car drove over the speed limit. Fang. I felt as if visiting him had permanently allowed a part of him to stay with me. My heart felt…well, better.

I hated all that fluffy crap, but I couldn't help it. Max the girl was finally coming out from under her covers, and she definitely liked the light…

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

…_**Fang was looking down at me, his dark eyes full of worry. His dark brown hair was hanging in his face as he looked down at me; his beautiful, black wings were spread out behind him. **_

"_**Fang." I whispered, reaching my hand up from wherever I was laying. "What's got you so worried?"**_

_**He took my hand in his own and brought it to his lips, sighing and closing his eyes. "I just missed you. I hate not seeing you."**_

_**I smiled and slowly sat up. "I'm here now." I whispered, leaning up so that my lips were at his ear (an extremely bold move). **_

_**He smiled. "I know."**_

"_**So, are you gonna kiss me?" (WOAH!! Now THAT was a non-Max move)**_

"_**If you want me to." He said, leaning even closer to me. **_

"_**Well, I do." I whispered, closing my eyes as he closed the distance between us.**_

_**When our lips met it was just a small peck. He pulled away at first, making sure it was okay. I nodded and leaned in for more, not ready to let him go. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I shivered at his touch. I couldn't believe I was doing this, and yet I didn't want to pull away to put an end to it.**_

_**Gently, he bit down on my bottom lip, silently begging for entrance. Without doubt I opened my mouth, meeting his tongue with my own. My hands instinctively wrapped themselves around his neck, only wanting to pull him closer.**_

_**He pulled away, our lips still lightly touching as he said, "I love you, Max. I love you so much."**_

"_**I love you to."**_

I jerked up in my bed, sweat dripping down my face. What. Kind. Of. Dream. Was. That? I grabbed at the sheets, pulling my knees up to my chest.

I wiped at my forehead, afraid of what the dream had meant. Did I…was there something…?

Shaking my head, I ripped the covers off and headed for my bathroom. I flicked the switch on, turned on the faucet, and splashed myself with cold water. "Oh god, what am I getting myself into now?"

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

"MAX HAS A BOYFRIEND! MAX HAS A BOYFRIEND!"

I glared at Edward as Alice skipped around the room, chanting and singing the same phrase repeatedly. "She's in love!"

"I trusted you." I growled as Edward glanced at me.

"It wasn't me!" He said, holding his hands up. "She had a vision."

"Of what?" I asked as Alice made her second trip around the living room.

He looked down. "I…I don't think I should tell you."

"Oh P-shaw, Edward!" Alice said, suddenly by his side with her hand on his shoulder. "You were _kissing_ him! Right here in this living room!" She chimed happily. "You were all over each other!"

"Alice, that wasn't such a good idea." Edward said, running his hands through his hair.

"MAX KISSED WHO?"

I spun around in my chair to see Emmett and Jasper standing at the base of the steps, their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open. "W.T.F!" Emmett yelled. "Who did she kiss? I'll pound his face in!"

"Calm down." Alice said, smiling as she skipped over to Jasper. She pecked him on the cheek, but he didn't respond in any way. "Jazzy." She growled. "Leave it alone. Max is a teenager now. Kissing boys is totally normal." Still no response. "Jazzy…"

"WILL EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" I growled, spinning around. I tried to push past Emmett, but he grabbed my arm. "Get your hands off me!" I snapped. He didn't let go.

I turned around to meet his glare, clenching my fists. "Let me go or I'll knock your lights out!"

"Who's the vampire, huh?" He challenged. "You can't even touch me."

I rolled my eyes.

"Now, who did you kiss?"

"Nobody." I snapped. "I didn't kiss anybody!"

"But you will." Alice giggled.

"Shut up you stupid pixie." I growled.

"Maybe we should go to school now." Edward said, jumping in to pull me away from Emmett.

Oh great, the ride to school. Now I had to tell Edward ALL about last night. This was fun!

But…was I really going to kiss Fang?

**Giggles happily!**

**REVIEW!!!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay, I have made promises to people that my chapters will be longer. My plan for his chapter is 3,000 to 4,000 words, so I'm sorry if it took a while to get up! I'm not used to making my chapters so big!**

**And yes, the author's note did count for my word count!!!**

Chapter Thirteen: Kissing

Even though Edward was sitting there, patiently waiting for me to start the conversation as he drove at human speed, my mind couldn't help but to wander. Was Fang really going to kiss me? Did he like me that much?

I began to remember my dream, and soon Edward wasn't even there. The dream was replaying over and over again in my mind, much like a movie with a broken reel. The words, "I love you.", kept falling off of Fang's lips as he pulled away from the kiss he and I shared.

"Max? Max! MAX!"

Jerking myself out of the sweet, sweet memory of a secrete dream kiss, I looked angrily over at Edward. First of all, he had woken me from one of my best memories ever, and second of all he had plans of starting a conversation I _so_ wasn't thrilled to be a part of. What was he expecting from me? Did he want me to spill every single word of the conversation? Did he want me to explain exactly how I responded when Fang asked me if he could see my wings? Should I even tell him that Fang had wings?

"What?" I asked, pretending that nothing was about to happen, that he wasn't about to ask me questions that could potentially ruin our relationship as a close pair of siblings.

"Did he kiss you?" He asked, the interrogation starting with such a simple, easy question…that made my head spin. Had he been prying in my mind? Did he know what my dream was about?

Most of the time I didn't care if Edward was in my head, because it wasn't like I was thinking of anything he didn't already know. But anymore it was as if he knowing every deep thought I had was a bad thing… (Maybe because it was?). He promised me that he kept a good distance from my head, but what if this time he did it because he thought he was protecting me?

"Um…no." I said, the answer not coming out so sure.

"So, his lips never touched a part of your body?"

My eyes widened and I clenched the fabric of the seat. That was a gross question, and it was only the start. "N…no."

"Did he try to take your clothes off, or was that of self choice."

How was I supposed to answer that one? Yah, it was my choice, but it wasn't because Fang and I were…it's not like we were… "Self choice." I said, my throat clenching as we came to a stop sign, which he actually stopped for, letting two cars pass by before moving again.

"Did he touch you after you removed your shirt?"

Thank god I could answer that question with a clear, confident answer. "No."

He sighed, a sigh of relief no doubt. He was obviously happy that Fang hadn't tried anything he knew I would be uncomfortable with.

"Okay." He said happily. "There's only one last question. Don't hate me for asking it, but…did you two have and or attempt to have sex?"

I swallowed hard, hating my brother with a fiery, burning passion. "No, Edward. We did not."

He smiled. "That's what I like to hear!"

Before I could say anything else, he pulled into the parking lot of Forks High School. He quickly stepped out, a sign that I was off the hook. I closed my eyes before opening the door and slipping out, greeted by an all-to-happy Edward. "You are so weird." I said before slamming the door shut with as much force as I could.

The only thing that kept me from turning around and screaming at Edward, was the one little thought that I refused to let go of. The thought that Fang might kiss me, and the thought that he and I would be dating.

When I was younger, the thought of having a boyfriend made me flinch. I was sickened by the thought of having a pimple faced, booger eating, _boy_ following me around, attempting to carry my books and pull out a chair for me to sit in at lunch. And when I say younger, I don't mean like six years old. I mean like last year.

My friend would always be giggling about how happy they were to be dating some boy they met in Art class, talking about how he kissed them on the cheek before running as fast as he could to catch his bus. It sickened me.

But now…now I felt like that. I was thrilled at the idea of having a boy (Fang) carry my books and pull out a chair for me. My head pounded with adrenaline as I stepped onto the familiar pavement of school grounds.

Edward smiled at me, patted my back, and told me he'd see me at the end of the day. I was happy to know that I wouldn't have to deal with him until later. He was getting on my nerves now, being all happy, smiley, big brother.

I began to head towards the Main Entrance, not really in the mood to hang outside. But when Lizzie's familiar, shrill voice screamed out my name from across the school lawn, I knew I would have endure the cold, gray morning outside.

I walked over to where she was kneeling on the ground, a book cracked open in front of her. "Hey!" She said happily, slamming the book closed. "What's up?"

I sat down beside her, picking at the grass. "Nothing."

Since she was one of my best friends, she could easily see right through me. When there was something up with me, she knew there was something up with me. There was no way to hide anything when you were around her. "Something's wrong." She said, looking at me like a therapist did a patient. "Spill."

I bit my lip, not sure how to start this. Max the girl was thrilled, ready to scream her newest discovery to the world. But the regular Max sure wasn't in the mood to indulge the world with what was now one of her biggest secretes.

"I…um…" I swallowed and closed my eyes, thinking that not seeing her face would make it easier. "I…like somebody."

My stomach twisted into knots at the silence. Was she going to say anything? Was she going through shock? Was she having a seizure?

I open my eyes to see her sitting there in the same position before, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. Damn, I knew it was a bad idea. Why didn't I listen to regular Max?

"You…like…somebody? Like…as a friend?"

I bit my lip so hard I could feel the skin break. "No. As…a…um…like…more then a friend."

She then did something so terrible and embarrassing I thought that I might melt into a puddle right then and there. She stood up and began to jump up and down, screaming her little blonde head off.

I gripped her hand when people began to stare, and yanked her down to the ground. "Don't make a scene." I hissed in her ear.

"I'm sorry, Max." She said, collapsing on the ground beside me. "I just…I just can't believe that you're…you're…"

"I know, I know." I sighed, playing with the grass again.

"So, who is it?"

"Um…uh…"

"Come on! You can tell me! I'll keep my mouth shut!"

"Okay, but don't laugh!"

She nodded her head enthusiastically. "I promise that no giggles will escape these lips."

I inhaled deeply, his name coming out in a rush. "Nick."

"Pheobe's cousin?!"

I nodded my head and looked over to see her smiling. "Don't. Laugh." I said in a threatening tone.

"I'm not gonna! I'm just so happy for you!"

"Yah, yah, yah."

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

When Lizzie and I finally decided we should make our way inside for homeroom, everybody started grouping around the vending machines, towards the back entrance of the school. Lizzie, being the curious person she was, pulled me towards the commotion, asking people what was wrong while I stood there, fighting for a better view.

I stood on my tiptoes to look above the crowd, seeing what looked like the red head of a girl and the deep brown hair of a guy. The girl's face soon came into view. Kassandra.

The boy's face was hidden as Kassandra leaned in, a smile lighting up her pale features. She whispered something that made people in the front of the crowd cheer while the boy shivered.

I rolled my eyes and watched as her lips descended down on his. The boy's face was clearly visible, and it was lit up with pure happiness and pleasure.

I stumbled backwards, feeling something in my chest stutter and ache. My breath caught in my throat and my hand instantly flew up to my mouth. Stinging my eyes, I could feel the tears make themselves noticeable. I shook my head, not believing what was happening in front of me.

The pair broke away, smiling at each other happily. They looked out towards the crowd and smiled, almost as if they were getting married.

The boy was taller and could easily see above the heads of most of the crowd. While scanning over the scene, his dark eyes made contact with my own, and I felt my heart shatter.

I couldn't tell you what his expression was because as soon as he looked at me, I spun around and ran inside, not listening to Lizzie's howls of protest behind me.

Why had I been so stupid? Of course Fang would rather kiss a girl like Kassandra, not me. He and I were two different people, even if we shared the same flaw. But the wings had nothing to do with us.

I lost interest in learning about my past as I ran into the bathroom, feeling my stomach toss and turn.

_You stupid, stupid girl! How could you let yourself fall so deep! Him calling you beautiful was just a way to get at you, and Alice's visions have been wrong before._

Tears fell down my face as I leaned against the stall, needing the support to keep me from falling to a crumpled mess on the floor.

Max the girl was crying while the regular Max was screaming out with rage. I didn't know which one was going to win, or which one was going to go back and hide.

What about him made this so hard? What made me fall for him so instantly?

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

Eventually somebody found me. The poor girl was freaking out, bending down to help me up. She dragged me over to the sink and wiped my face with a wet paper towel. I didn't say anything, even when she tried to make pleasant conversation with me.

She was obviously older, her voice more thick and her body more curved. I assumed she was a Senior since she looked more like a teacher then a student. The only thing that had me sure she was a student was the way she was dressed. Low cut top and mini skirt, the normal for Senior girls.

Taking my hand in her own, as if I was a child, she led me to the nurse's office, where a lady with snow white hair and wrinkled skin told me to lie down.

The girl smiled and waved at me, telling me that things would get better, even though she didn't even know what was wrong with me in the first place.

But the truth was, I didn't either.

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

The nurse looked down at me, her grey-green eyes full of concern. "Should I call home, or do you think you'll be able to go to class?"

I couldn't help but to smile. No matter where I went, people would freak out and ask what was wrong with me. They would keep asking me questions that I wouldn't find important enough to answer. How I hated when people were worried about me.

I rolled my shoulders, looking away from her wrinkled face to examine the tiles on the floor, colored a mint green color that reminded me to much of a hospital. The nurse sighed, looking at me even though I had looked away. "I think we should call home. You don't seem in the mood to go to class."

"Do they really let kids go home for mental breakdowns?" I asked, my voice dry and rough from crying so much.

She smiled, an expression I couldn't help but to catch. "So, she does talk!"

I nodded my head.

"Well, what you had was far from a mental breakdown. Everybody has rough day, sweetheart. Sometimes, even school is too much for us."

"Yah, school, that's it."

She sighed. "Well, I'm sure you won't explain your state to a school nurse, so could you please give me your phone number?"

I sighed before giving it to her in a gush of breath, surprised that she actually got it.

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

I wasn't surprised when a worried looking Edward came running into the nurse's office, his eyes wild as he asked what happened. Mom must have called him on his cell phone.

"Well, a senior girl found her in the bathroom. She was on the ground, crying, and…"

Without letting the nurse finish, he flew to my side, placing his hand on my cheek. "What happened to you?"

I began to think of a pink unicorn flying over a rainbow so that Edward wouldn't get an answer from my head.

"Nothing. I was just…tired."

He nodded his head before bending down to whisper to quietly for the nurse to hear. "Alice had a vision about this. We'll talk more about it when we get home."

I sighed. Of course Alice had a vision about this. What _didn't_ she have a vision about?

**Okay guys! Did you like it? Was it long enough, or do I still have to work on length? Let me know with a review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**100 reviews!!!! YAY!!!!! **

Chapter Fourteen: The Future

When Edward opened the passenger door of the Volvo, a signal for me to step out, I knew exactly what I was about to be faced with. Worry, then anger (towards Fang), then even more worry. When it came to my feelings, my family was…sensitive. If somebody hurt me, then my family took it up as their responsibility to deal with it. They would do whatever it took to make sure the person who hurt me was properly punished.

Because my family was afraid of scaring me by attacking in groups, they all waited calmly inside, hands folded in their laps in a patient, calm manner. But it was when they did things like that, that I began to worry. It was times like these when I could feel fear curl up in my stomach. How were they going to react? This subject was definitely more sensitive then others…and I knew for a fact their reaction would be different…for the better or the worse I was unsure.

He took my hand in his own, the familiar coolness of his skin bringing my fear down the slightest bit. I closed my eyes as he pulled me in towards the house, his smile a sign that he was trying his best not to freak out and attack me with pointless questions on my well-being.

When I stepped inside, it was exactly as I had pictured it. Mom and Dad were sitting on the couch, their hands folded in their laps patiently (sound familiar?). Alice was holding tightly onto Jaspers hand while he sat in the chair, and she sat on the arm rest. Rosalie was sitting on Emmett's lap, from far away the position looking sweet and innocent. But up close you could tell that it was Rosalie's best attempt to keep him from getting up and hunting Fang down. I respected her bravery.

The silence was scaring the crap out of me, so I decided to break it by myself. "Hey everybody."

And then all hell broke loose.

Alice and Rosalie squirmed and shouted as Jasper and Emmett made an attempt to escape from their grip. Rosalie placed her hands on Emmett's shoulders, violently pushing him down. Alice took both of Jasper's hands and wrapped them around the back of the chair, making him wince with pain. She gave him an apologetic peck on the cheek before pulling back even harder. Mom stood up and ran to my side, ripping me as gently as she could from Edward's grasp. Dad was right by her side, her free hand resting in his own.

Wow, my family was strange. But maybe that had something to do with the fact that they were all vampires, hiding their true identity from society while taking in and raising a mutant bird freak for a daughter. Yah, I was beginning to think it had something to do with that.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Mom asked, her voice high with concern. She placed her pale, cold hand on me cheek and kissed me gently. I sighed into her touch, feeling the walls I had just previously rebuilt, crash down around me. My eyes burned and stung as I fought back the tears, not wanting to show any weakness in front of my family. "It's okay, sweetheart." Mom said, taking me into a firm embrace. "Cry it out."

Then I was sobbing in her arms. The small sounds of my sadness were like an alarm to my brothers, making then struggle even harder against their…would you call them girlfriends? Edward scratched the back of his head, a sign that he was fighting against himself and what he wanted to do versus what he knew was the right thing.

I pulled away from mom, knowing she wouldn't use her vampire strength against me. I wiped my eyes enough to see that my brothers had stopped fidgeting. They were looking at me, concerned. I let another sob escape as I ran towards them. The girls let them go, and soon I was in a group hug with Jasper, Emmett, and Edward. It was comforting, even if I was being squeezed by three potentially dangerous vampires.

"Maybe you should go upstairs and rest." Edward said, bending down to place a kiss on my cheek. Emmett and Jasper followed with the same action, making me feel happy enough to stop crying.

I nodded my head and looked over at Alice and Rosalie, who instantly jumped up. "We'll take her up." They both said in unison, an action that was, without a doubt, creepy. At an inhuman speed, they ran to my side, taking my hands in their own. No words were spoken as all three of us made our way upstairs towards my bedroom, where they slammed the door shut behind me with enough force to shake the house.

Either I was in trouble, or somebody else was…

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

"That stupid, winged, IDIOT!" Alice screamed, punching my bed. "How can he be such a jerk!"

"All men are jerks, Ally." Rosalie said, sitting down on the bed with the grace of a Greek goddess. "But this one is probably one of the _worst_."

"I even had a vision that he would kiss Max, not that leprechaun disguised as a _slut_!"

"Um, guys…" I said, trying to break up their rant session.

"That asshole should have been able to resist if he had a heart!" Rosalie said, violently picking at my blanket, ripping out the seems.

"GUYS!" I screamed, slamming my foot on the ground to get their attention. Shocked, they turned their heads in my direction.

"What?" Alice asked. "Are you gonna cry again? I'll go get the tissues."

"No, I…I'm…not going to cry. But…you're kind of scaring me. I mean, he hurt _me_, not _you_. I should be the one who rants about what a jerk he is. And…how did you know he had wings?"

"Ally had a vision about him showing you his wings. She saw the whole thing." Rosalie said.

For some reason that made a blush crawl over my cheeks. The girl in me was hanging her head in shame, as if what Fang and I had done was something to feel bad about. It was as if we were two kids who had been caught stealing cookies.

"I also had a vision about him kissing that girl. I didn't think it would affect you that much, but I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry. I should have told you about it."

"You mean you knew before it happened?" I asked, shocked that my own sister hadn't shared that one bit of pretty important information with me.

"Yah…I'm SO sorry, Max!"

"So…what about the one where you saw us kissing."

She looked down at the floor, almost as if she was regretting telling me that. "Actually…that one is still set in stone."

Those words sent a shock to my heart that made my eyes grow wide and my blood to race faster then normal. I was still going to kiss him…after what he had done?

"But you can still change the future!" Rosalie said quickly, leaning over to look me in the eye. "And you better, because if you kiss that boy then we'll find out, and we'll make sure to punish you for it!"

"How?" I asked, the one-word question coming out before I could even think about asking it.

"What do you mean, how? You shouldn't even have to worry about it, right? Because you're not going to kiss him, right? You're going to change the future, right?"

"HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU GOING TO SAY 'RIGHT'!!!?"

She leaned back, her eyes widening with shock. "I…I'm sorry…"

"Leave."

"What?" Both my sisters gasped (once again creepy).

"I want you both out of my room, AND I DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO BOTHER ME FOR THE REST OF THE DAY!!!" I screamed the last time loud so that everybody downstairs (if they weren't really by the door) could hear me.

I only wanted to be alone so that I could sort things out in my mind without any interruptions. They seemed to get this, because both of them left without any complaints.

I flopped down on my bed, fighting back tears as I let my mind wander to all the right places. I could feel my heart patching itself back up as the walls began to rebuild themselves.

**DID YOU LIKE IT?  
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	15. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**I don't really no what to say, people. I have no inspiration for this story anymore…I'm not going to stop it, but it's going to take me a while before I can come out with another chapter. It could be hours, days, weeks, maybe even months! **

**If you want to speed up this procsess, GIVE ME IDEAS!!!!! I haven't gotten any in a while, and I'm desperate for them!!!!!!! Fan feedback is the only way this story is going to make it to the end, so WRITE!!!!! You can even send me a private messege!!**

**I hate doing this to this story, especially because people seem to like it so much more then my others. So please, PLEASE, send a rewiew or PM with an idea. It can suck!!!!! I just need to build up off of ideas….**

**This story is officially on HiAitus….(I don't know if that's spelled right…)**

**B.t.w: I didn't spellcheck this or anything…so don't complain about spelling or whatever…**


	16. Chapter 15

…**hangs her head in shame at the terrible, TERRIBLE, deed she has have done…**

**I'M SOOOOO SORRY!!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THIS TO YOU GUYS!!! PLEASE, PLEASE KEEP READING!!!!! **

**I want all of my usual readers BACK!!!!!!!! **

**(sobs uncontrollably… "come back"… "come back"… "come back….")**

**(Not really! I don't sob…at least not over something like fanfiction…I love it but not enough to go all depressive! )**

**Here's the chappie I'm SURE some of you have been waiting for!!!!!!!!! (I hope!)**

Chapter Fifteen: The Meadow

Surrounded by thick, green, forest, the meadow swayed with long grass and weeds, their existence a rare sight in Forks, Washington. Usually the growth around here was short and stubbly, the lack of sunlight and overdose of rain an imbalanced amount to support a large supply of green.

It was a peaceful place, even when there was no sun. But today the sun splashed through the trees and beamed brilliantly down on the grass. It was such a rare, beautiful sight it was hard to be angry or upset. The place was too happy…and I liked it.

My family, baseballs in hand, were tossing and hitting with little enthusiasm, knowing that there was something bothering me. I wished they weren't affected like that, hurting when I was. It wasn't fair to them, having to carry _my_ worries on _their_ shoulders.

They asked me if I wanted to play, and, even though I knew it would help lighten the mood, baseball wasn't my sport. I was terrible at it, hitting the ball out every single time. I didn't really like any kind of sport.

_I bet Fang likes sports. I bet he likes baseball…_

Ripping at the grass under my fingertips, a gasp escaped my lips. What made a thought like that come to my head?

_You want him…you really, really want him…_

I stood up, scared that my thoughts were taking such a drastic turn. Why was I thinking like that…?

"Max, are you alright?"

I looked up to see Edward, his familiar features taken by worry and fear, emotions I wasn't used to him expressing. Without me noticing, he had used his speed to pop up in front of me, taking the breath out my lungs with the shock of him suddenly being in front of me.

"Edward! You scared the crap out of me!"

"What's got her so jumpy?" Mom asked, suddenly by his side.

"N…nothing." I said, running my fingers through my hair as I caught my breath. "Edward just scared me…that's all."

Taking my hand, Edward bent down to my level, his eyes looking at me with pure fear. I glanced over to see that Mom was frozen, her eyes locked on somewhere in the forest behind me.

_Run Max…Run…_

Pain. Cruel, terrible, pain. Ripping through my skull so fast I couldn't help the moan that escaped my lips. "What's…what's…Ahhh!"

Edward pulled me into his arms, pulling me away so fast that everything around me was a blur. "Carlisle! What the hell are those things!?"

"Edward." I moaned, trying to get him to let me go.

So many sounds…so many screams…

_Close your eyes Maximum, just close your eyes and rest…_

Edward called my name, his voice echoing in my head as everything turned black.

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

"_**Come on Max. Wake up."**_

_**His voice, so cruel and so terrifying, ripped through the cold darkness. I didn't want to open my eyes. I didn't want to see him…**_

"_**What's happening?" I asked, the words coming out even though I didn't want to talk to him. The person I had pinned as a traitor, even though he didn't know he had done anything wrong.**_

"_**Nothing you need to worry about now. Just know…" His voice trailed off for a moment, almost as if he was choosing his words carefully. "Just know that we're with you…all the way. We're here for you Max."**_

"_**Fang…"**_

"_**Wake up."**_

"_**Max."**_

"_**Max."**_

"_**Wake up."**_

XXxxLineBreakxxXX

The light, a blinding reminder that it was still daytime, burst through the black with a cruel determination. I moaned, the brightness piercing my eyes painfully. "Edward?"

I began to remember what had happened. The thoughts, the headache, Edward's worry, the fear in his eyes…

"Edward!" I said urgently when there was no reply. He was always there for me. He was always by my side when I called him.

"Edward! EDWARD!"

_You're safe here without him._

The shock of hearing another voice in my head brought me to my feet. "Who's there?"

_Just me._

I scanned the perimeter, something I picked up from dad, and found that there was nobody there…that I could _see_. "Me who?"

_I'm…your conscience._

"Max! Max!"

"Edward!"

I spun around to find myself suddenly in his arms, his embrace pulling me so close to him I could barely breathe. "I'm so glad you're safe."

"What's happening?" I asked when he finally pulled away.

He looked at me with eyes that held the answer, but for some reason I knew that he wasn't going to tell me. There were secrets he was keeping. Secrets he wasn't ready to tell me.

"Tell me, Edward." I demanded, my voice sharp.

"Does your head still hurt?" He asked, dodging the question as if I had never asked it in the first place.

"Where is everybody?" I was determined to shake some answers out of him.

"Listen, Max. We're just trying to protect you."

"From what?"

"Your past."

Fear. Cold, terrible, fear.

_**I'm scared…I'm scared…**_

"Edward…"

_Your past is a terrible place, Maximum. Let other people save you from it. You have bigger things you need to worry about._

The scream, so loud and so child-like, fought its way past my lips with little trouble. I was never scared, and when I was I never expressed it. But now…

_**I'm scared…I'm scared…**_

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

**Fang's P.O.V**

I can't believe she saw…I can't believe she saw me kissing another girl…Why was I so stupid?

I sat on the concrete steps, listening to my Aunt as she shuffled around in the house, preparing things for the hospital. Pheobe would have to stay for another week, her condition suddenly growing to a more dangerous level. I hoped she was okay, but my thoughts were on Max.

_**Selfish…**_

Her eyes made her look so hurt, so betrayed. But why? Was it because somebody had said something, or was it because she liked me?

_Yah right Fang. Keep telling yourself that. Maybe you'll make yourself feel better with fake thoughts. You weren't the one to hurt her. But that doesn't mean you can't be the one to comfort her…_

I straightened up, the thought making a smile crawl across my face.

Without a second thought, I dashed inside the house, frantically searching for my aunt. I found her in the laundry room, quickly shoving aside piles of her clothes as she dug for Pheobe's. "Hey, Lee, I have somewhere to go. Is it it okay…"

"Get out." She hissed. "Just be back by six, I'll come by to take you to the hospital. Pheobe's gonna wonder where you are by then."

"I will. I won't leave her alone."

"Hm."

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

The scene before me was so unreal, so hard to believe, that I dropped my bike at my ankles, not caring if I broke anything, and dashed inside the house.

There was no reason to open the door, since there didn't seem to be one anyway. It was lying in the bushes, scratch marks running down the front where they ripped through the paint and wood.

I ran through the living room where furniture was flipped over and papers were scattered carelessly. Fear and adrenaline pumped through my veins as her name escaped from my lips. "Max! Max, are you in here?"

"She's out. But I'm here."

Bloodshot eyes, sharp teeth, protruding snout, and…fur. All of that was standing in front of me…

"I'll give you a ten second head start. I just hope you can run fast…Fang."

_**Run…**_

**Well now, THAT was different! I hope you liked it…(even though I didn't…) Give me confidence!! (and I'll update again!)**

**I guess I kinda left a cliffhanger…hm…I hope it was a good one! Keep reading!!!!! And Reviewing!!!**


	17. Chapter 16

**Original, mystery character in the flashback!!!!**

Chapter Sixteen: I Can See You

"_**You can't do this to them!" She screamed, her voice rough from the argument. "They don't know any better! Don't punish them for stupid mistakes! They're just children."**_

_**Cruel eyes examined the sight before them. Innocence in its perfect form, trying to fight for lives she didn't have to care for. It was a shame, really, that she had to be so fragile. "Don't play stupid. You know as well as I do what you really intend to do with them. You don't want to save them. You want to take them for your own selfish reasons."**_

"_**I want to save my son!" Her voice made his head spin with cruel, powerful, determination. He wanted to please her, but with things she didn't know she wanted.**_

"_**Your son cannot be saved. His future has been handed to him, and it's important for him to fulfill it. Even if he stays with you, he'll run to her. He'll run to **_**them**_**."**_

"_**I'll find him! I'll find him and I'll keep him from whatever sick, twisted future you made for him!"**_

"_**I'm afraid I can't let you do that."**_

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

FANG

"I just hope you can run fast…Fang."

Fear, an emotion so hard to ignore, pushed my feet backwards. I never broke eye-contact with the wolf-like creature, moving backwards slowly, knowing that my time was running out.

A smile, dangerous and definitely canine-like, consumed his cruel features to make him even uglier. His fingers, long with the addition of claws, curled into a fist. Although it may sound strange, I could _smell_ the danger in the air.

_3,2,1…_

A loud, high-pitched shriek struck the air when ten seconds was up. The creature in front of me looked up, examining the ceiling carefully. Even though I knew this was time to run, I was fascinated by the scene in front of me.

"RUN!"

The voice, familiar but strange, set me off. I suddenly remembered my secrete weapon, but wasn't sure if I knew how to use it.

The wolf (which is what I'll call it for now), stood straighter, its eyes locking once again on my own. "You don't know how to use them, do you? Have you kept them a secret for that long?"

"How do you…"

Before the rest of the question could leave my lips, something crashed into my back, pushing me forward before pulling me up in the air. I could feel arms, muscled and skinny, holding firmly onto my waist. I felt my breath being pulled from my lungs as everything below me became nothing but a small speck.

Shock kept me still, but when his voice penetrated the silence, I began to squirm. "Long time no see, Nick. Or is it Fang now?"

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

"Max, Max…shh, it's okay."

Edward held me, arms tight around my waist as if protecting me from something I couldn't see. Tears fought there way through as everything that had ever gone wrong in my life tumbled to the surface; breaking free from the safety I had put it all under. Memories I had shoved to the side unintentionally began to fit pieces of a puzzle I didn't know I was even working on together.

I knew what I had to do as my future began to play a specific part in what was happening now. They were trying to take me back. They were trying to take us _all_ back.

_Fight it, Max, and follow the destiny you have no choice but to follow._

Knowing that I had no time to deal with the voices in my head (literally), I began to squirm from Edward's grip. "Let me go!"

"Don't make me." He said, his voice clearly showing that he was defeated. He was giving up on the future he wanted me to have. He was giving up on _me_…but he had no choice. I wasn't ever supposed to meet him, and that was finally separating us.

I reached my shaking hand back to place it on his cheek, closing my eyes. This feeling felt like a stranger. The love the shattered my heart pushed me even farther away. I loved him. I _loved_ him. But I wasn't supposed to.

"Let me go, Edward."

Maxine Cullen clung to his scent, his feel, his touch…but Maximum Ride wasn't sad. Maximum Ride was ready to move on from the past that was never hers to touch.

Whoever truly belonged with me was calling out with desperation. He needed my help, but I was _here_. Everybody who had depended on me was waiting for me, but I was to busy saying goodbye to make-believe past.

_Make him let go, Maximum._

With strength I never before thought I had, I ripped away from his grip, not looking back as I began to walk away. "Tell m…" I had to stop from saying "mom". "Tell Esme and Carlisle that I appreciated what they did for me. Tell everyone that a part of me will always miss them."

And with that I ran as fast as I could, running until I jumped in the air and could feel the strange rush of air under my wings. Never before had I actually _tried_ flying, but I seemed to be good enough at it.

I was not sad. I was not sad…

_Don't look back, Maximum. Your real family is depending on you. Go to them._

Although I wanted to argue that my real family was behind me, another part of me kept pushing me forward.

_**Not one tear shall fall from these eyes…**_

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

FANG

I squirmed in my captors arms, trying to break free. Falling to my death didn't seem like such a bad thing compared to being taken by some freak with wings (sounds familiar…). I never got to look at his face, but I was sure it was a "he" by his voice. He kept mumbling profanity under his breath as he fought to hold me in his arms.

I reached my arm up until my hand made contact with what felt like a cheek. I grabbed flesh and pulled with all the strength I had in me.

"Hey!" He howled, pulling his face away from my grasp. "Do that again and I'll let you fall!"

"Who are you!" I shouted, struggling in his arms once again.

"You mean…you mean you don't remember me?"

From the way he asked the question, it was almost as if he was hurt. As if he was upset that I didn't remember him…

"Well, it has been a while. I'm not sure how long exactly, I'm not really one to pay attention to time. But it's been long."

"Wha…" I was cut off while he continued to talk.

"I assumed that you and Max weren't coming back when they took me back to the School. You guys never came to save me." His voice dropped to a sad tone. "I guess I'm really that easy to forget, huh?"

"Maybe not if you tell me your name." I don't know why I said it, but for some reason I longed to comfort him.

"You'd probably remember me as Jeff. But they call me Iggy now."

"Jeff…"

Jeff…the blind one.

"You can't be…you aren't…LET ME DOWN!"

This wasn't possible, this wasn't possible, this wasn't possible…

He couldn't still be alive…the past was the past. It was forever ago…

_**The past is just a part of the future…**_

XxxxLineBreakxxXX

"Iggy's on his way." She declared, her sweet angelic features consumed by concern. "Do you think Nick'll like us?"

Gazzy, the little girl's older brother, wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "He's gonna love us."

"What about Max?" She asked, her voice growing high as she found herself on the verge of tears. She wanted Max to love her.

Nudge, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, smiled down at the small girl. "Angel, she'd be crazy not to love us."

She bent down to the level of the girl she had grown to love as a sister. Although she seemed calm and confident about the situation, she felt her stomach flutter with butterflies. _What if_ they didn't like them? What if Max and Nick turned their backs on the flock because they wanted to disconnect themselves from the past altogether?

Ever since the four (Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel) had escaped the School, they had been searching for the two people they were convinced to be the leaders of the flock they had worked so hard to protect.

The flutter of wings and the protests of an unfamiliar boy came from above, a sign that Iggy had returned, and he wasn't alone. Nudge fluttered her wings nervously while Angel peered up from Gazzy's embrace.

_**And here, the future begins…**_

**HEY!!! I updated! You don't have to get this chapter to get the whole story, because soon enough everything will become clear! REVIEW AND GIVE ME IDEAS!!!!!!!**


	18. Chapter 17

**I'm BAAAAACK!!!! I re-read the last chapter, and cried at how terribly written it was. I will try to redeem myself, but I don't know how well I can do when I've only received, like, five reviews since the last update. I'm very disappointed with you guys.**

Chapter Sixteen: Hold On

MAX

I watched them from a perch high in a tree, hopelessly lost in their ways. They clung to Fang with desperation, knowing that somehow he was going to save them. Knowing that he was their way out.

They didn't know I was here, and that surprised me. One thing I had noticed about being part-bird was that my hearing and vision was AMAZING. The slightest noise would set me off. I guess they were to into Fang to really care about anything else.

I noticed Jeff, or Iggy, clung to him the most, giving him hugs and trying not to cry. Fang held onto him as if they were brothers long lost to each other until now. I could see emotions lighting up his face, a rare and exciting sight. I wanted to hold Iggy in my arms again and tell him how much I missed him. I wanted to feel and see, up close, how much he had grown from the pale little boy in the dog crate to the strong one before my eyes now. I felt myself getting choked up, and figured I would have to spend more time up in the tree so that I could give myself time to prepare.

I saw the other three, the two girls and the boy, but found that I couldn't place names on them. Something about them was familiar…but I couldn't figure it out. Maybe it was just because they had that "Just-Escaped-the-School" look to them, a look I realized I had for a very, _very_ long time.

Fang was being a trooper, and for a moment I believed that I didn't hate him, that there was something more to him that I just didn't take the time to notice before. Maybe he was more then a stuck-up snob who hung out with the wrong people…who kissed the wrong girls.

For some reason, I felt my heart ache. The thought of Fang kissing another girl wasn't just disgusting, but…but…

Edward. I wonder what it was like for him to have to hear me talk about Fang. I wonder what he really felt when he saw me come out of Fang's house with my shirt on wrong. Was it just brotherly love, or was it different?

I shake my head and convince myself that it isn't right to think about him anymore. It doesn't matter if he loves me or not, because I'm not supposed to love him. It's like an unspoken law that only I have to follow.

But how can I just leave him like that? How can I leave my "family" and friends with just a simple turn of my back? Can I really let myself go like that?

I'm so caught up in my own thoughts that I don't realize that I have a guest. It's the girl from below, the smallest one. She's pretty, and it's the first thing I realize about her up close. The next are her wings, so tiny and white, just like an angel's. She can't be much older then five, if even that old.

Her hand is extended out towards me, and I feel my heart stutter. Is this really what I want? To just run away with these people?

Because I know taking her hand won't decide anything for sure, I take it and let her jump down with me at her side. I cling to her, afraid that she'll fall because her wings are so tiny, but she manages to stay up, supporting herself and part of the weight I'm not using while trying to keep her up.

I don't know what I look like to these people (except for Iggy), or what's going through their heads right now. I'm tempted to run to Fang and to take comfort in what's familiar, but I know that would show weakness.

I don't even bother to look at Fang because my eyes are locked on Iggy. He's handsome, no doubt. He's looking right at me even though I know he can't see me.

"Jeff." I whisper, the name sounding so right on my lips. Tears sting my eyes as he mumbles something I don't care to listen to. I run into his arms and knock him down, letting my wings wrap around him. "You're alive! I can't…I can't believe it!"

I can hear him laughing, and can't help but to smile at the beautiful sound. For so long I had thought he was dead, and yet here he was, struggling to breathe as I held him tight in my embrace.

"Er…yah done?" He asked, struggling to break free and sit up.

"Not even close." I say, squeezing him tighter. "Don't you dare leave me again."

He relaxes and places his hands on my back, melting in my embrace. "I'm not going anywhere Max."

For a moment I wonder what Fang's thinking. Is he jealous? I doubt it. And with that comes thoughts of Edward and what he would think if he saw me with Iggy, holding him like this. I don't think I've ever held Edward like this.

Soon I'm nothing but a sobbing mess in his arms, and he's soothing me as best he can while lifting me into a sitting position. I don't have to look up to know that he's concerned. This should be a happy reunion, and yet here I am, sobbing my eyes out.

"Hey, I'm here. I'm alive." He whispers, taking my hands in his own.

I shake my head. "No. I…I left them all…"

"Max."

The voice isn't Iggy's, and it takes me a moment to take it in. Fang. He's standing behind me, his hands shaking. "We can go back. We're not leaving them forever. I have people I care about back there to. I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I left Pheobe."

That only makes it harder. I curl myself into Iggy's embrace, letting him hold me as close as he can.

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Max and Edward…Secret Memory

"_**Max! Max come back here!" Even though he's screaming at me, I can hear the laughter in his voice as he watches me soar overhead. I look down at him, watching his arm wave back and forth as he attempts to wave me back down.**_

"_**Come up and get me!" I scream. "You're the big bad vampire!"**_

_**I laugh as I hear him scream something back, the words jumbled up as I flap my wings, hearing the air rush past my wings. This all seems so perfect, so right. Being here with Edward, knowing that his thoughts are only on me.**_

_**After five minutes of listening to his pointless howling, I decide it's time to go back down.**_

_**Before I know it I'm in his embrace, feeling him squeeze the life out of me. I'm only thirteen, but I'm tall for my age, and am about as tall as him now. I feel him tousle my hair and find myself melting in his embrace.**_

"_**You're so amazing." He whispers. I feel my eyes widen at the words, and wonder what they mean.**_

_**I tilt my head up to look at him, but am met by something other then his eyes. His **_**lips**_**. He's kissing me fiercely, not even caring that it's technically my first kiss, and that it shouldn't be moving this fast this soon.**_

_**  
But those thoughts are wiped away as even more troubling ones take over. First of all, he's **_**technically**_** my brother, which means this is illegal. Second of all, he's **_**technically**_** seventeen and I'm only thirteen, not illegal, but still…**_

_**And then he pulls away, his eyes wild and wide. It doesn't look like he's upset, he just looks…worried, maybe. I can't really tell. All I know is that he's gone now, and that I miss the familiar feel of his arms wrapped around me.**_

_**All I know is that I think I love him…**_

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Iggy…To Get To Know Him

_**I don't really remember much about being in the School. Those memories were wiped clean over the years, leaving behind only bits and pieces of what once were full memories of torture. But slowly, as I got older, they began to come back to me.**_

_**I began to remember two people especially. A little girl and a little boy, both as old as I was. They were calling to me for some reason, reaching out and trying to grab my hand. But that's it. End of memory. And then it's just darkness.**_

_**I was always determined to find them, but was convinced that I couldn't with my one disadvantage. I was blind. **_

_**It never really bothered me. If nobody every told me that I was blind, then I wouldn't think that I was. But when it came to finding people, it would help if you know what they looked like.**_

_**That's when I was captured and brought back to the School, and when I managed to escape again, this time taking some friends with me.**_

_**I got lucky when I came to Forks, taking the rest of the Flock with me. (I took the rest of the "Flock" with me after escaping the School for the second time) I heard the Erasers, not really knowing what they were. I followed them though, knowing that they must lead to some kind of trouble.**_

_**I was surprised by what I found…**_


	19. Chapter 18

**How long has it been???? Forever, it seems like, but I'm pleased to make my official comeback! I'll be updating at least once a week with the hope that it's enough to bring all of my old readers back!**

Chapter Eighteen: An Angel's Presence

MAX

As I stand here, speaking with a past I once completely forgot about, I can feel the recent memories slip away. Sometimes I fight to hang on, letting Maxine take over and stay for just a bit longer, but other times I let them go, knowing that it was always meant to be this way. My love for Edward Cullen is coming to an end, and I couldn't be more thankful. It was a tremendous weight to be carrying around, and I'm happy to finally leave it behind, buried in the wreckage of a life that was never mine to live.

I'm quite happy here with the Flock. Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel are all very sweet kids, and I love them already. I can see a bright future with them at my side. Now, though, it seems that something is keeping me from leaving these woods. Iggy keeps asking me when I want to leave, and my reply is always: "just a little more time". I don't know if it's instinct or just the simple fact that, in truth, I can't just leave all of my past connections. I left without a proper goodbye. I just don't know if I can face their broken eyes, filled to the brim with the sorrow of losing a daughter.

Fang watches me all of the time, keeping his eyes locked on me with a vicious desire I only want to watch burn out. In my eyes I can see no time for love or relationships. Maybe that's why I find it so easy to leave any trace of my love for Edward behind me. Maybe I'm becoming a cold-hearted person with nothing to give to any of the people who love me. Maybe I truly am a monster, fit with wings to make me all the scarier. Maybe, just maybe.

As night falls, a black blanket against the swaying tree tops, Fang approaches me. There is no love for me this time, only a concern I want to share so desperately. I want to care again, but I just can't. I can only accept what's happening to me with a sigh and a careless smile.

"Max?" His voice is sweet, drowned in sugar and honey. Part of me loves it. Another part pushes him away. Another part wins.

"Yah?" My voice is casual as I examine his stance. He's not here for a fight. He's here to ask me when we get to go back. From the look in his eye I can tell that he hasn't forgotten; that he still loves his old life as Nick.

"When do we get to go back?" I smile at how right I was.

"I don't want to go back."

His eyes don't hide the shock. I want to feel the same thing, but I just can't. "You're just gonna leave them all behind?" His voice his rising in anger, and I can only smile. I can tell he hates the casual pull of my lips.

"I can't want that life back, Fang."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"A part of me wants to miss everybody, wants me to love all of those people…but I can't. I just can't. Something's holding me back, Fang."

"Yourself."

This time I'm the one who can't hide the shock. My eyes widen as his loose comment. "Excuse me?"

"You're the only one holding yourself back, Max! Don't tell me you don't want to go back and see the family that _raised_ you! Don't tell me that you don't care anymore!"

"Fang…I…"

He lunged forward and grabbed my shoulders in his hands. His hands were large and pulsed with the strength the rest of his body didn't need. I could smell his breath, as sweet as honey and carrying a trace of cinnamon. Carefully, as if I were a doll he had to keep from breaking, he took my face in his hands. I loved the touch of his smooth skin against my own, but I would never admit it. "Don't tell me…that…that you don't want to see Edward one last time. To tell him how much you really love him." His eyes closed as the last sentence fell from his lips. He didn't want to say it, but he had to. Hearing something so true coming from Fang's lips brought Maxine back, scrambling to break free.

"Fang, I don't love him. Maxine does." Only after I said it did I realize how truly insane it sounded. "I mean…I…uh…"

He smiled, the sweetest pull of the lips, and pulled away. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn't want to, but that he_ had_ to. He knew that for the time being I couldn't love him; that it was just impossible. Two different loves were battling for the chance to breathe, and the one that would soon die wanted its chance for air. Maximum Ride would have to rest, to sleep for just a little while longer.

"Let's go see them." I whispered. Fang's smile only grew at my simple suggestion.

"I'll tell Iggy." His voice was cool as he took the few necessary steps towards our make-shift "camp".

FANG

Watching Max's eyes light up at the mention of Edward Cullen's name was the hardest thing I ever had to witness. It broke my heart into a million pieces, each one as unimportant as the rest. I began to consider my odds with her. She was beautiful, smart, and had a wonderful way with words. She could pick a fight and end up the winner. I was nothing compared to her, and I never would be.

"Hey, Fang." Iggy said, his blind eyes landing directly on me. "What's up?"

The smallest boy, Gazzy, looked up from his place beside Iggy. "He looks upset, Ig." His flashed a full smile at me before he stood up from his place on the ground and left to speak with the two girls, Angel and Nudge.

"Something wrong?" Iggy asked, his voice soft as I took my place beside him. "Max gotcha down?"

It amazed me how much he knew. "Maybe."

"Maybes not an answer."

"Hey, Iggy? Max and I…we need to head back. We can't just leave our families behind without a proper explanation."

"Are you gonna come back?" Nothing could hide the hitch of sadness in his voice as he considered Max and me leaving him once again. "I want you to come back."

"We'll be back before you know it."

"Better be. Otherwise the Erasers'll find us."

I took no time to question the meaning of "erasers" as I stood up. I glanced at Max's form, truly one of beauty. She kept her eyes locked on the kids, her lips pulled back in a brilliant smile. I could see so much in her eyes, but I began to wonder if I was really looking at Maximum or Maxine. There was no doubt in my mind that I knew Maxine, but what about Maximum? Did I know her at all?

"We won't be gone long." I told Iggy, making sure that my voice was high with reassurance. "I promise you that we'll come back."

"Soon?"

"Soon."

Max's eyes were on me as I walked towards her, my own eyes focused on the forest ahead of us. I wasn't about to face my fears, not yet. I knew that the person staring through her eyes right at that moment was Maxine…not Maximum. I had to get used to Maximum, whether I was afraid to or not.

"You ready?" I asked, making sure that I kept my eyes focused on anything from her.

"Of course."

The cool air kissed my wings as I shook them free. I watched Max do the same, unable to avoid seeing such a beautiful performance as it took place before me. I wanted nothing more but to give myself to that wonderful girl. The thought of drowning in everything that made her who she was became a very tempting thought. Because as we flew away, our wings beating in sync, it didn't matter if she was Maximum or Max. At the end of the day she was still Max. And maybe, just maybe, she would one day become _my_ Max.

MAX

I can only feel the wind and the rush of its cool air. It makes everything so real. Up here where nobody can touch me I am invincible, and everything is beautiful. The reality awaiting both Fang and I is far below us, and we can leave it behind if we choose…but we aren't. I can't enjoy the wicked rush of cool air with such thoughts weighing me down. I just give up.

Instead, I focus my attention on Fang. He really is a handsome boy. His wings are large and colored like that of a raven's wing. As always his face is creased in a kind of sorrowful concentration I would one day love to watch disappear. He's not at all focused on me…_not at all_…

I no longer have the right to long for him, especially not now. Now I'm going to confess my love to a boy only Maxine could love…_only Maxine…only Maxine_…

I want those words, that _name_, to disappear from my mind. I'm one person, not two, but that doesn't stop the different thoughts from mocking me, _screaming_ at me. My heart wasn't two different things, two different _people_. I'm split between a life as a human and a life as a monster, and I just can't seem to choose. Either way I'll have to leave a family, and I just don't think I can come to do it. I desperately want to choose both paths, to live both lives, but I can't…I just can't…

**Yah…that's right, I UPDATED! Now, you may have noticed that between Fang and Max I switch from present tense to past tense. I just can't help it, besides, it makes the story DIFFERENT. But in a good way (I hope). So…how about we do me all a REALLY big favor and send a lot of reviews? It would make a certain girl very willing to update…**

**Didn't understand the reason for the name of the chapter? Don't worry cuz you don't have to!**


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